One of the most anticipated albums of the year is out today. Vancouver post-punk quartet ACTORS has finally released Acts of Worship, their long, long-awaited sophomore album.
Acts of Worship is ten tracks of thrilling yet broody dance cuts. We’ve already heard half of the album’s songs, as they’ve been steadily releasing singles over the past year, but it’s nice to hear them as part of a cohesive set. Of the pre-release singles, my favorite track is “Like Suicide” for its unsettling vibe and frontman Jason Corbett’s melancholic vocals.
I’ve only had a chance to listen to the full album twice, and so far my favorite track of the unreleased songs is “Death From Above.” Shannon Hemmett’s keyboards take center stage here, and I really love how the layers of synth and guitar topple across one another.
Acts of Worship is the follow-up to ACTORS’ incredible debut, It Will Come to You, which was my favorite album of 2018. It included amazing songs like “We Don’t Have to Dance” and “Face Meets Glass.” When they toured behind the album, I had the chance to see them perform live, and it was one of the musical highlights of my year.
ACTORS had intended to tour this fall to support Acts of Worship, and I was planning to see them at Absolution Festival next week in Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic derailed their plans yet again. Here’s hoping we’ll finally get a handle on the public health crisis and they’ll be able to tour next year.
