It's now time for our 195th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and this month, we're beginning a two month spell of reviews of new albums from prolific local rock guitarist Mikhal Muto via his emo/folk punk solo project Agnosticism's new EP "Atticcore Fornication"! Released to major streaming services on June 12th, this is the Instagram-only project's fifth album and their fourth to see a wide release beyond YouTube, with this being the third album of theirs that I have reviewed for the SMS. Mikhal did note at the time that "Atticcore Fornication" features songs that are now 2-3 years old and that he doesn't necessarily agree with the lyrics of them now, but he wanted to finally get these songs out. He also said that this EP would be their "last release for quite some time while I focus on other writing projects", one presumably being his new self-titled album with his crossover thrash band Hails that we're reviewing on the blog next month.
Mikhal (also known from Vanity First and The Apocalypse Afterparty) is the lead performer here on vocals and guitar, but he is joined on one song by guest vocalist Kayden Simon. You can stream this independently released and recorded EP on YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Boomplay, and it is buyable for $5.94 on mp3 on iTunes. Song names below are linked to their YouTube copies. With six songs running for about 19 minutes, let's begin this EP review!
"Atticcore Fornication" begins with "Sea Of Discontent", which opens with a pleasant and intricate guitar intro that gives no indication of Mikhal's folk punk leanings until 57 seconds in, when he begins singing with his distinctive nasal tone befitting a punk project like this. The intensity quickly builds with pointed lyrics, background screaming, and abrasive guitar strumming, and it's really a tale of two songs here, but both halves work well enough depending on what you're going for! I'd have structured it with more of a balance but it works to lead the EP off! Next is its longest song, the 5+ minutes-long "Friends With A 40", this song is more of a rollicking folk number from the off that would really suit a full band if Agnosticism was one! The song shifts in tempo and structure a fair amount across its runtime, including some more deliberate strumming in the bridge and more passioned vocals from Mikhal, and the song rarely lets up.
Even at its length, its not a boring song and it is one of the highlights of this EP, so Agnosticism fans won't want to bypass it! Third is "Nightmares", featuring Kayden Simon on guest vocals. Here, Kayden does the first verse and alternates the choruses with Mikhal, and while they compliment each other well, the tone of Kayden's voice is an acquired taste for this style of music. Mikhal's anger and screaming is well handled when he takes the lead, but this song also has that abrasive scratching/clicking noise from the guitar strumming that first cropped up late on "Sea Of Discontent" and that's starting to get a little old. Good song though, and a slight change of pace! That's followed by "Every Band Has A Song Called Untitled" (I guess that is true to a certain extent!), which is a folksier and less intense number with more reserved singing. You still know it's Agnosticism via Mikhal's voice though (and that background scratching noise).
Leisurely paced but moving along steadily (a late screamed verse aside), this gets the job done for what it is, but I do prefer my Agnosticism to be more punk-influenced and aggressive on the whole. The penultimate song here is "Light Pollution", which was first released as a one-off single in July 2024 before making it onto this EP, and it is the same recording. While still having a punk attitude, this song is also relatively laid back, though you can tell that it was recorded somewhat separately from the rest of "Atticcore Fornication" based on the slight recording quality shift and that the guitar work isn't scratchy and clicky. A good song for fans of Mikhal's lighter side, and you have to appreciate the fuller structure of it! The EP closes with its shortest song, "Here's To Living", which is a return to form for fans of their more intense and freewheeling folk punk, but the pre-bridge verse sounds like it was recorded underwater.
For recording clarity, lack of filler content, and clearer/less clicky guitar work, this is another key highlight to end the EP with, and folk punk fans will take to what Mikhal's doing here a lot! Overall, I did like "Atticcore Fornication" for what it is, and fans of Agnosticism's prior output will be right at home with it! Mikhal knows the subgenre and how to write simple yet detailed acoustic punk material with intense and pointed lyrics, and he makes good use of his distinctive & impassioned vocal style! I like punk more than folk, so songs like "Here's To Living" and "Friends With A 40" were my favourites on offer, and if it was me, I'd lean more into those styles or turn Agnosticism into a full emo/punk band, but he;s doing what he wants to do with the project. Compared to their most recent EP that I reviewed previously (last year's "A Letter Of Resignation"), this EP is most differed by that clicky/scratchy noise on the guitar work on all but the last two songs.
My own musical preferences aside, that grinding noise on tracks 1-4 got increasingly abrasive and I would have re-done or edited it out if it was up to me. If you can get past that, Agnosticism delivered the folk punk goods on this EP, and hopefully their teased hiatus doesn't take too long, but give it a listen or buy it at the above links, and we'll see some of what Mikhal's been up to since when we review Ha!ls' self-titled album on the SMS next month! Thanks everyone!
