Krill's 'Secret Language' Is a Jittery, Generous Masterpiece of Coming Back
A reunion is a move a band only gets to make once. Krill waited, and then used theirs carefully: Jonah Furman and Ian Becker both landed in the Chicago area, decided that was reason enough to start again, and brought in Andrew Clinkman on guitar. Seth Engel produced. Nine songs, thirty-two minutes, no victory lap.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Engel keeps the rhythm section dry and close, which is the correct call for a band whose whole trick is nervous energy that never fully resolves. Becker’s drums shift underfoot constantly — Rosy Overdrive clocked the record as “jittery, nervous post-punk” with math-rock and post-hardcore edges — and the bottom stays legible instead of smearing into the guitars.
The Spatial Dynamics: For the first time in the band’s life, Krill invited other players in: Macie Stewart on violin, Will Greene on saxophone, Maria Jacobson on backing vocals. The temptation with guests is to use them as upholstery. Instead they turn up in ones and twos and then leave, so the arrangements stay as wiry as ever while gaining colours a three-piece cannot reach.
Standout Performance
Macie Stewart, whose violin behaves like a voice rather than a string section — entering mid-thought, bending where a guitar would bend, declining to sweeten anything it touches.
Why It’s Certified
⚡ “Commemorative Plaque” reworks Aretha Franklin’s “Call Me” into a song about home and nostalgia. The title track opens with a reversed reading of Goodnight Moon and becomes a portrait of a family.
🌈 The Fire Note, 4.5 out of 5 and Headphone Approved: “a fantastic display of musicianship, patience, and indie rock played with total conviction.”
⚡ Rosy Overdrive: “weird rock and roll songs that stand up with some of the group’s best.”
⚡ The closer is called “Theme from Krill 2.” They know precisely what this record is, and they made it good anyway.