Escape Is Not Freedom Shares Sludgy Sounds with ‘Surrounded By The Great Nothing’ [Album Premiere]

If you’re looking for freedom, do not attempt to escape. We repeat, do not attempt to escape. Because escape is not freedom, at least in the eyes and minds of one Chicago group it isn’t. Hard rock trio, Escape Is Not Freedom is set to release their new album, Surrounded By The Great Nothing, on April 1st, and it’s impossible to avoid this ten-track recording’s grungy catchiness.

Surrounded By The Great Nothing was recorded and produced under the watchful eye of Shane Hochstetler, the well-regarded producer who is perhaps best known for being the drummer of Milwaukee indie rock group Call Me Lightning. EINF congregated with Hochlester at his very own Howl Street Recordings and, there, all zoned in on the sound and structure for which the musicians were aiming. The end result? Some very yummy grungy and sludgy heavy rock goodness.

Providing more detail on the record and the time period in which it was recorded, the band said, “Surrounded by the Great Nothing was recorded and produced by Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street Recordings in Milwaukee from November 2018 to May 2019. It is our second full-length album. Everyone was experiencing personal grief on some level during the time of recording so the album carries a great deal of emotional weight.”

The release of their sophomore record is conveniently coinciding with the fifth anniversary of Escape Is Not Freedom forming. The Chicago trio blends only the best of alternative rock, noise rock, and sludge with the spirit of doom. Their songs are very much structured around catchy riffs and melodies which you’ll discover as you dive deeper into their growing catalogue. So, if all of that sounds mighty good to you, then what are you waiting for?

Artwork for ‘Surrounded by the Great Nothing’ by Escape is Not Freedom