Old Time Relijun are the rarest breed of band. Insatiable, living raw, always on the margins and consistent as hell. You know what to expect and yet never have any clue what's going to come next. Old Time Relijun give sweaty, compulsively danceable performances that never fail to inflame their audience. Their songs are simple but no one else in the world could imitate them. Their albums are packed with sing-along hits, mixed with sonic experiments and inside jokes. Their loose swagger belies years of practice, fastidious arrangements and gut-level understanding of how music hits you.
Old Time Relijun is an unearthly combo from Olympia, Washington. We don’t throw words like “genius”, “brilliant” or “legendary” around lightly. Nor do we use them to describe Old Time Relijun (though others do). We prefer to see them as “mythical”. Their new EP, See Now and Know, appears after a mysterious decade-long dormancy, reuniting the classic Catharsis in Crisis (2007) lineup featuring bandleader Arrington de Dionyso with Aaron Hartman (upright bass), Germaine Baca (drums) and Benjamin Hartman (saxophone and percussion).
This is the band’s 9th studio recording and they appear to have exploded spontaneously, pounding together a fiery record, forged from within. Resistance, magic and hope are catalysts for a deeper tunneling under. The songs are typical OTR: sexy, untethered, and sing-along at the edge of the volcano fun. “Dragon Juice” conjures a dance party in a dangerous lair; “I Know I’m Alive” brings an inspired moment on the mountain into sharp, soulful focus; and “El Naranjo Gritando" brings us up close to the big nasty. There is real, palpable urgency in this recording. Seven songs, 23 minutes. Everything necessary with no fat to cut out. Jump in, Old Time Relijun, See Now and Know!
