Tenement

Though their tracks boast crisp hooks, brisk tempos, and immediate appeal, Tenement refuse the standard pop-punk mold—partly because the label itself holds little interest for them. Instead, the group stands out through its verbal acuity and readiness to veer into spontaneous playing, qualities that fuel an intense concert presence while allowing a subtler, more exploratory approach once the band enters the recording studio. Guitarist and vocalist Amos Pitsch launched Tenement in 2006; he also creates the bold collage imagery that adorns the group’s album covers and promotional posters. Raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, Pitsch began drumming at age seven and quickly assembled an informal group with his cousins. By 2001 he had switched to guitar and started his initial punk outfit, the Waffles. During high school he crossed paths with bassist Jesse Ponkamo; the sophomore had already spent years generating abrasive sounds alongside friends in hardcore and grindcore projects when he met the freshman Pitsch. Their first jam at Pitsch’s residence prompted plans for a band called the Heatseekers, yet the name had shifted to Tenement by the time the musicians began performing publicly. Multiple drummers rotated through the lineup until Eric Mayer joined as a short-term replacement just before a mid-2009 tour. The fit proved permanent, and by the end of that year Tenement appeared on various compilations and split singles. The trio’s debut album, Napalm Dream—material they had been shaping since 2009—arrived in 2011; later the same year the band issued its second long-player, The Blind Wink, after first offering a tour-exclusive cassette version. Steady road work, including several Japanese dates alongside Holy Shit!, continued as the musicians gradually assembled their broadest collection yet. In June 2015 Don Giovanni Records finally issued that third effort, Predatory Headlights.