TRIGGER CUT - SOOT
Soot: a flaky deposit of shapeless carbon produced in the combustion of organic matter. Layers of etymological meaning leave a powdery residue of irony around the title of this third album from German noise rock trio Trigger Cut. The Proto-Indo-European sed (‘to sit’) can be found alongside the word’s Middle English and Proto-Germanic roots - soote , sote , sot , sōtą . Circumstances surrounding the album’s creation assign pertinence to ‘sit’ equal to the word’s contemporary meaning. Fire destroyed the group’s rehearsal room in 2021, an event that left plenty of soot and members sitting around during an already limiting lockdown. The bird depicted in the cover art is the fabled phoenix rising from the ashes; not the most original or subtle of cultural signifiers, but one appropriate for this album’s blunt force. Trigger Cut’s return to the musical fold brims with pugnacious attitude, a firm resolve not to give in to calamity. Starting over again has meant refining their first p