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There\u2019s a line in guitarist Justin Smith\u2019s notes about the current state of recorded music that lands harder than most band quotes do: \u201cwe are all destined for the future digital discount shelf of a strange form of expression now referred to as \u2018human music.’\u201d It\u2019s funny and bleak in equal measure, and it tells you exactly where Sweat\u2019s head is at going into their new album.<\/p>\n
\u201cTear It on Down<\/strong>\u201d was tracked live to a 16-track at Atomic Garden in Oakland last July \u2014 no headphones, no click, no cowards, as engineer Jack Shirley<\/strong> puts it. Shirley, Grammy-nominated and known for his work with Deafheaven, Jeff Rosenstock, Loma Prieta, and Jerome\u2019s Dream, doubles as an occasional member of the band.<\/p>\n The whole thing went down the way Sweat<\/strong> and their associated projects have been doing it since 2009: everyone in the room, playing together, looking at each other instead of a waveform.<\/p>\n