Under the Weather

When Character Was King

Fusing pile driver post-hardcore riffs with poppy, Mae-esque melodies, Alto, Georgia’s Under the Weather have delivered a satisfying release with When Character Was King.

The six-track record (not counting the outro) makes effective use of dynamics, alternately pummeling and uplifting. Sonically, the band most closely resembles the polished attack of In Fear and Faith, but with better songwriting chops. “High Thread Count” encapsulates Under the Weather’s sound, with wrenching screams, faux-orchestral atmospherics and a passionate, clean chorus (“Forgive me for loving you / Tear me up don’t shake the roots / I will fight the sun and the moon”).

Cuts like opener “Truth Be Told” and “A Second Guess is a Second Wasted” pack sharp melodies and breakdowns, and the band amps up the aggression in the second half of the EP, peaking with the frenetic “Control-Alt-Delete.”

The band could handle transitions better; at times, the shifts from heavy riffage to melodic reflection are abrupt and jarring. But all the pieces are there, and Under the Weather seems poised to make a splash on a bigger stage.