ASSERTION, BASKING IN THE GASLIGHT

Have you ever been so gaslit that you feel like you need a gas mask? On their stellar sophomore album, Basking in the Gaslight, Spartan Records’ Assertion, made up of multi-instrumentalist Justin Tamminga and Sunny Day Real Estate and Foo Fighters’ old drummer, William Goldsmith, tap into the time of emergent ‘90s post-hardcore to create cinematic soundscapes that cut like a serrated knife.

“Got me feeling like waves are rushing over / Got me feeling this push to find closure / Got me feeling like it’s over,” they sing on the pulsating, “Almost Over,” with it’s ‘90s reminiscent lead guitar. Tamminga’s sincerest of trumpeting voices, along with his vulnerable, pain-saturated lyrics, are at the center of the outfit, and it is a fitting follow-up to a record that put him on the musical map with his memorable melody lines and the duo’s visceral alternative rock attack.