Foxing // Nearer My God

Foxing

Nearer My God

Triple Crown Records

A perfect score in our review section is a coveted thing. It is fitting, then, that St. Louis post-emo pioneers Foxing have earned that designation (from more publications than just ours) with their third genre-bending LP, Nearer My God. Nodding to their roots as often as their influences, the band successfully blends emo, post-rock, and anything else they manage to get their hands on for a sonic experience steeped in apocalyptic splendor. Foxing toe the impossible line between loud and soft dynamics masterfully, from the menacing progression of opener "Grand Paradise" to the orchestral swells of "Heartbeats." The fact of the matter is, the band never wastes a moment here, delivering a balanced mix of the self-seriousness that defined 2015's Dealer and the flirtation with power-pop found on frontman Conor Murphy's 2017 project, Smidley. One minute, the band is trying their hand at uplifting alt-rock ("Nearer My God," "Bastardizer"), and the next, they're paying tribute to Radiohead's glitchier moments and even The National on closing track "Lambert." In this sense, Nearer My God is both bombastic and refined, fearless and genuine in one fell swoop. — Aaron Mook