Drill for Absentee

In late 1995 the Philadelphia suburbs gave rise to math rock trio Drill for Absentee, whose founding aim was to fuse abrasive guitars, intricate song structures, and spoken-word vocals. The group comprised Michael Nace on guitar and vocals, Kevin Kelly on bass and vocals, and Bryan Sargent on drums. A recording contract with Mind Walk Records soon followed, yielding the band’s self-titled debut EP in 1998. The subsequent Circle Music EP appeared in 1999 and included percussionist Vin Novara. Later that year the trio quietly dissolved: Sargent moved to New York City while Nace started the folk project the Nace Family. July 2021 marked the band’s reformation, now featuring Okanawa-based drummer Ken Kuniyoshi. Their first new material in more than twenty years, the EP Strand of a Lake, Vol. 1, surfaced in September 2022; a second volume arrived before year’s end, and a double EP followed in 2023.