4 out of 5

Label: Expert Work Records

Produced by: Mike Lust, Carl Saff (remastered by)

Rocking the time changes and emo-to-loud dynamics of 90s / 00s Dischord, Tekulvi’s In Recognition Of Your Significant Accomplishments EP has a humbleness to it that gives it a better home at Chicago’s Divot, where the band’s looseness allows them to sneakily back their way into some really creative compositions, and truly intense moments. ‘In Recognition’ is already a pretty cheeky name for a record; Chris Almodovar’s lyrics have a fitting focus on underdogs, and the push and pull found in trying to communicate simple things. While these lyrics are fairly simple – at least in the sense that there aren’t very many words per song – they gain power through repetition, and the choice of what’s said / shouted. At the same time, Almodovar isn’t necessarily the strongest vocalist, verging on “typical” emo registers but without anything really definitive to stand out in that crowd. Better are the moments when he’s shouting, which often gets distorted, though that might also tell you that the singing isn’t the most impactful part of this record, but the extra layer of noise they add is important.

That kind of indefinability is key to Tekulvi’s success, with the band playing with familiar emo punk templates that they push and pull on to make something much fresher, even by modern standards. A more obvious example is the appearance of Sweep the Leg Johnny’s Steve Sostak on sax on Distance & Gravity, adding a blast that would generally just be used (in a punk song) as a repeated element, but the band writes with / around Sostak, weaving his work into the music. Low Center of Gravity – the original EP’s midpoint, and longest track – is a plus / minus example of writing beyond the usual playbook, as its quiet / loud build ends up diverting from the “loud” past a breaking point. The track peaks, but maybe not in the most effective way. Still, it’s an appreciable experiment, expressed elsewhere on the album by letting slight missteps and a slightly jazzy looseness soften the punky edges; the group follows those leads and songs get new life that leads to some very heavy conclusions. It’s a listen that sneaks up on you.

The bonus tracks included for the Expert Works rerelease are very welcomed. Cringey name aside, ‘Whatever Happened to William Friedkin After 1986?’ is a tightened up version of what we heard on the EP, more directly getting to the meat of the track while maintaining an element of exploration, and live cut Go Fuck Yourself is one of those ideal enders that just gets to it and goes hard; it’d only be better if given the sheen of being a studio recording.

While I can’t speak to the original mastering, I’d have to guess that Carl Saff did a fair amount in the remaster to bring out the band’s best. Given how some Divot records sounded back in the day – nothing egregious, but their roster tended to favor a “muddier” sound – the recording sounds very modern, and gives a lot of room to bass and guitars but makes sure the riffs and screams hit hard.

A very appreciated representation by Expert Work.