Precious Sick Rooms

Precious (Adamantium, Threadbare, Snapcase) releasing LP (stream 2 tracks)

Fifteen years ago, Dan Sena’s frustration with guitar definitely played a role in his decision to abandon hardcore music. After his last show with Adamantium (one of his many former bands) at Showcase Theater in Corona, he thought his playing days were over the minute he slammed his guitar case shut and walked out of the venue.

“When we broke up that was literally the last time I strummed a hardcore riff,” Sena says. “I was burnt out on hardcore. I didn’t know what to write anymore.”

Disillusioned with his own sound and the sonic direction where scene was headed, Sena decided to expand his musical horizons. He’d already taken heed to the advice of good friend and Dim Mak label founder Steve Aoki, who suggested he start DJing on the side for some extra cash between gigs with his band. Almost two decades later, the Costa Mesa local became a fixture of OC’s dance music scene with plenty of work on his plate. Despite all the DJing he was doing, the itch to play live compelled him into starting an avant garde, proggy space rock band called Arrhythmia. When that project stalled, Sena began writing hardcore riffs on guitar once again out of frustration. [OC Weekly]

The above quote is from a feature on OC Weekly with Dan Sena, who used to play in hardcore bands like Adamantium and Stickfigurecarousel, and who — like his old pal and fellow former hardcore musician Steve Aoki — has now been a popular DJ for a while (with music on Aoki’s Dim Mak label, whose first release was a Stickfigurecarousel 7″). For the past few years, though, Dan Sena has been revisiting his hardcore roots with his new band Precious, for which he handles instrumentation and production. Threadbare‘s Brian Lovro handles lyrics and vocals, and the lineup also includes Threadbare (and Snapcase) member Dustin Perry, Death By Stereo‘s JP Gericke, and Sena’s former Adamantium bandmate Matt Horwitz.

Precious released two EPs in 2016, and they’re releasing their first full-length, Sick Rooms, on July 28 via Indecision Records. They recently released the album’s lead single, “9 x 10 (nine times out of ten),” and we’re now premiering the second single, “Withholding.” Of all Precious’ related bands, these songs are probably closest to the metallic hardcore of Adamantium and Snapcase, and if you’re into that kinda stuff, you’re almost definitely gonna dig this. Precious play like no time has passed since the ’90s, but they still make it sound fresh. Listen below.

Precious are playing the LA stop of krishnacore vets Shelter‘s upcoming tour, which also has GIVE (who just opened for Snapcase in Brooklyn this past weekend) on the bill. Let’s hope Precious play the East Coast soon too.