Ostraca, Gif From God, Votive

Should we throw a Santa hat over our miseries and pantomime jolly cheer through endless Christmas carols? No-ho-ho. To truly purge that holiday-time stress from your bleeding lungs, let the wailing wind carry you to this uncommonly eclectic emoviolence showcase. Whereas you’ll want to immediately protect your neck from .gif from god’s ice-skate-sharp razor riffage, the post-screamo of Ostraca is more like a sonic sleigh ride careening out of control, reaching chilly devastation after a steady build. But for a real sky-filling, rabid-reindeer apocalypse, local upstarts Votive best tap into the seasonal spirit. – Julian Towers