The 113 Confront Modern Tension on The Hedonist From Leeds, a city with a long-standing reputation for abrasive guitar music, The 113 emerge with The Hedonist, a four-track release that feels wired into the pressure points of the present. Released on April 17, 2026, the record captures a band leaning fully into the sharp edges of noise rock and post-punk, shaping a sound that is both immediate and unsettling. Still operating beneath the surface of the wider UK scene, the quartet develop a sonic identity rooted in friction. Their music does not ease the listener in. It grips quickly, driven by dissonant guitars and restless rhythms that feel like they are constantly on the verge of slipping out of control. Across its four tracks, The Hedonist builds a sense of sustained tension. The guitars clash and scrape rather than resolve, creating jagged textures that push against the structure of each song. Underneath, the rhythm section holds things together just enough to keep the momentum moving, but never enough to provide comfort. There is a deliberate instability to the way the music breathes. Thematically, the record is deeply anchored in contemporary anxieties. Surveillance, data saturation and the mental strain of constant connectivity run through the core of the project. These ideas are not delivered through detached commentary but embedded directly into the sound itself. The music feels monitored, compressed, overloaded, as if reflecting the very systems it critiques. Recorded in Leeds within a collaborative environment, the EP benefits from a production approach that emphasizes contrast. Precision and chaos exist side by side. The mix, handled by Daniel Fox, highlights this duality, allowing the roughness of the guitars to remain intact while bringing clarity to the underlying structure. It is this balance that gives the record its impact. Musically, The 113 sit at a crossroads of influences. There are echoes of contemporary UK post-punk, the abrasion of noise rock and the urgency of punk, but the band avoid slipping into simple revivalism. Instead, their sound feels current, almost dystopian, as if shaped by the environment it responds to. What stands out most is the sense of purpose. The Hedonist does not aim to be accessible or immediately gratifying. It operates more like a controlled pressure chamber, where each track intensifies the atmosphere rather than releasing it. The result is a listening experience that feels physical as much as emotional. As a first short-format release, it establishes a strong foundation. The identity is already clear, even if still evolving. The band understand the space they want to occupy and how to shape it. Though still relatively under the radar, The 113 show clear potential to rise within the UK’s noise rock and post-punk landscape. Their sound aligns closely with the tensions of the current moment, giving their music a relevance that goes beyond style. With The Hedonist, The 113 deliver a dense, abrasive and sharply focused release. A record that captures unease not just in its themes, but in every layer of its sound. © Thusblog
