FAULTY COGNITIONS- "They Promised Us Heaven" LP (Preorder)

Smart & melodic socio-political indie punk rock from Texas. Ex-members of Low Culture, Shang-a-lang, Nocturnal Prose & more. Their sophomore album and hands-down best batch of songs to date.

"Faulty Cognitions have an undeniable energy. The San Antonio quartet have a penchant for upbeat and catchy songs that complement the alienation and social disillusionment that lyricist Chris Mason explores on their sophomore album, They Promised Us Heaven. Mason dwells on the concept of “hypernormalization” of the horrors of our everyday world, otherwise characterized as the powerlessness of the common individual to change or resist the world’s current power structure that leaves people aware but immobile. Throughout They Promised Us Heaven, Mason lyrically reflects on global capitalism, domestic inequality, and the Palestinian genocide in Gaza with grief and clarity, as the band plays deeply melodic alt-rock with an impossible-to-hide punk attitude.

Faulty Cognitions began with Mason linking with his friend, bassist/vocalist Yole Centeno, to achieve shared dreams of blending the jaunty kiwi rock of The Clean and The Bats and the quintessential jangle of early R.E.M., Mason and Centeno performed one show as a trio with drummer Mike Nira locked in on the project. Quickly realizing that the driving and hooky songs they were writing needed a second guitar, they would fill the position with guitarist Nick Obregon. It’s clear that Faulty Cognitions are injecting the Dunedin sound into their work, but not without very much wearing their punk indoctrination on their sleeves on their 2023 released demo, and their subsequent debut, 2024’s Somehow, Here We Are. The debut, while sprinkled noticeably with the messy New Zealand style on songs like “On a Rock,” “Crisis of Faith,” and “Tired of It,” is still more often than not, a very American, and much more punk sounding record.

Throughout Faulty Cognitions’ growing discography, Mason’s voice often lands somewhere between the melodies of J Mascis and the lowered nasality of Osker’s Devon Williams, with hints of the kind of vocal layering the world loves Robert Smith for. Generally, though, the energy of Somehow, Here We Are is much more confrontational, with the general vibe being that much more rock n’ roll, guitar solos, and throwing bottles (maybe at certain authority figures?). They Promised Us Heaven, however, eschews high tempos and hard(er)-hitting songs for lush tones and more adventurous singing, which in turn exacerbates the darkness of the lyrical content. The band pushes up on The Cure yet again, but with similarly shimmering guitar tones in songs like “Worse Than Any Bomb,” or “Don’t Let Them See You Suffer,” while songs like “Arsonist,” “Be Casual,” “Rolling In Your Grave,” and “Tiny God,” remain reminiscent of the kind of 2010’s indie punk inspired by bands like Against Me! and Jawbreaker that Faulty Cognitions dabbled in on previous material.

Faulty Cognitions kept this record close to home not only lyrically but technically, choosing San Antonio’s Jett Bass Studios at The Cornpound. They Promised Us Heaven was tracked with the same personnel as Somehow, Here We Are with Joshua Bloodsworth handling tracking, Jesse Gander on mixing duty, and Carl Saff mastering. While Faulty Cognitions tonally are moving toward late 80’s Britrock on They Promised Us Heaven, they still play with an energy akin to American mainstays The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, and Dinosaur Jr., and the resultant sound feels familiar and fresh all at once."  -Pierce Jordan (Soul Glo)

They Promised Us Heaven arrives September 26, 2025 on Dead Broke Rekerds in North America + Shield Records in Europe. Pressing info: 200 Black vinyl, 100 Opaque Red. **PREORDER: Shipping on or around release date**