Aversion Affinity

By Johnny Kosmos

The world is ending. Everyone’s dying but you’re still here and so is your anxiety. Enter: Aversions, in all their post-punk glory. Their new EP, ‘Base Portrait’, is such a welcome addition to the rapidly growing catalogue of amazing Vancouver bands who have yet to breakthrough. They clearly know their source material VERY well, drawing from legends such as The B52s, early Talking Heads, and perhaps most notably-Television. Their lead single, Cistern Chapel, has frantic, swirling guitars and erratic, impassioned vocals which makes for a wonderful homage to Marquee Moon. Aversions aren’t stuck in the past however and while they wear their influences proudly, it definitely sounds like an album from 2020. They take cues from newer stalwarts such as The Preoccupations and ICEAGE.

‘Base Point’ is a fun, introspective take on the genre as a whole and I’ll be keeping my eye on Aversions. It’s nice to hear a post-punk band not fall into familiar tropes and actually produce a fresh, distinguished record as opposed to one that sounds like a 25-minute song. There’s something soothing about knowing someone feels the same shitty way you’re feeling, and Aversions get it.

Base Portrait was released on March 27th, 2020. Listen wherever you get your music.