https://www.humpday.news/music/tracks-anatomy-of-habit-always-arriving
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
By Michael Gutierrez
Tracks
Anatomy of Habit: “Always Arriving”
Art metal post-rockers strike again. Anatomy of Habit is a Chicago-based outfit that borrows its sound from a lot of different genres, but always manages to sound like itself.
Our highlighted track “Always Arriving” is the opening track of their latest album, Paired Sentinels. There’s a tensile strength in the bass line as it drops like chubby metallic rain across the pavement. The vocals sound like they were recorded by an experimental industrial unit, located somewhere in the eastern bloc, at some point in the late 80s.
Something about this band always feels out of time, like stranded time bandits.
Stream, share, buy to your heart’s content.
https://www.andjusticeforart.com/2026/08/album-cover-story-anatomy-of-habits.html
Thursday, August 27, 2026
ALBUM COVER STORY: ANATOMY OF HABIT's "PAIRED SENTINELS"
American collective, Anatomy Of Habit, has returned with a new album titled, "Paired Sentinels." This recording offers an intersection of post‑Punk, Doom Metal, Industrial, Noise‑rock and Shoegaze. Such musical mixture is reflected on the front sleeve which features the piece "Untitled (Sedlec Ossuary)" created by Australian-born artist, Jeff Gibson. In the following interview, vocalist Mark Solotroff talks about this image and other related topics.
How did you discover Jeff Gibson's artwork "Untitled (Sedlec Ossuary)"?
Mark Solotroff: I discovered Jeff's work through my close friend and Bloodyminded bandmate, Pieter Schoolwerth, whose own artwork we previously used on Anatomy of Habit's second album, "Ciphers + Axioms." Until very recently, Jeff was the managing editor of Artforum, a magazine that has covered Pieter’s work. After getting to know Jeff over a period of time, and after he saw Bloodyminded play a show in New York, he actually approached me with this specific piece. He thought it might resonate with me and that I might want to use it in a musical context. After my wife and I spent time looking at it and discussing it, it became crystal clear to us that it would be the absolute ideal visual identity for the new Anatomy of Habit record. My bandmates loved it right away and supported the decision.
Why did you choose this piece as the cover artwork for "Paired Sentinels"?
Mark Solotroff: "Paired Sentinels" is an album deeply concerned with emotional thresholds, the erosion of identity, and the unstable structures that shape longing and loss. Jeff’s piece, with its incredibly dense, layered montage of anatomical diagrams, sharp urban structures, and reflective surfaces, captures that exact tension. The title of his work references the famous Czech chapel known for its intricate bone architecture. That concept of taking something raw, mortal, and fractured and arranging it into a rigid, deliberate structure perfectly mirrors how we approach songwriting. It felt like a natural visual anchor for the album's themes.
Can you talk about the process of getting the permission to use the artwork? Did you personally contact Jeff Gibson?
Mark Solotroff: Because Jeff had approached me directly with the piece, the process was incredibly organic. It wasn't a matter of cold contacting an artist out of the blue to ask for permission; it grew out of a genuine personal connection, mutual artistic respect, and an ongoing dialogue. Once we formalized using the piece, we handed it over to Jonathan Canady, who has meticulously handled the graphic design and visual presentation for every single one of our releases since day one. Jonathan knows our aesthetic inside and out, and he did an incredible job framing Jeff's artwork and establishing the typography to ensure the physical packaging across the LP, CD, and cassette formats felt completely cohesive.
In your opinion, why is this artwork a visual representation of the album's music and lyrics?
Mark Solotroff: Musically, the four compositions on "Paired Sentinels" balance a monolithic, heavy force with patient, open moments of vulnerability. The songs rely heavily on repetition. Not to circle back to where we started, but to dig into the same patch of earth until we uncover something foundational. Jeff's artwork operates the same way. It isn't passive; it demands sustained looking. The juxtaposition of cold, geometric urban lines against raw anatomical elements mirrors the tension in my lyrics, which constantly move between stark external observation and ritualistic internal monologues. It visualizes the delicate, rigid frameworks holding human desire and anxiety in place.
The band's logo/symbol (featuring five nails/spikes) is quite interesting and memorable. Can you tell us about its meaning, origins and design?
Mark Solotroff: The origin of the symbol actually traces directly back to our sonic roots and our first percussionist, Blake Edwards. Early on, Blake introduced the use of actual railroad spikes as percussive striking instruments in our live setup, which became a signature element of our sound. Because Anatomy of Habit has always been a five-piece band, we decided to take five of these weathered nails/spikes and arrange them into a distinct formation that visually represents the quintet. We then worked with Jonathan Canady to refine that concept into a clean, geometric icon that stepped away from standard metal or post-punk tropes. While people often guess that the shapes are sticks, bones, or casting stones, they are fundamentally rooted in our physical instrumentation. That primitive, industrial minimalism captures the rhythmic architecture of our music, anchoring our collective identity into a singular, recognizable glyph.
Pre-order "Paired Sentinels" at https://anatomyofhabit.bandcamp.com/album/paired-sentinels
See more of Jeff Gibson's work at https://jeffgibsonjeffgibson.com/
02 August 2026
Creaig Dunton
Paired Sentinels
With a debut EP and four albums released since their inception 15 years ago, Chicago supergroup Anatomy of Habit have not stopped evolving and mutating, and Paired Sentinels demonstrates this continued evolution in occasionally drastic ways. Fronted by Mark Solotroff (Bloodyminded, Intrinsic Action, The Fortieth Day) on vocals and synths, the five-piece band’s meshing of almost all forms of "heavy" music continues to take a turn to almost conventional music forms, but never at the cost of their intensity.
That word, "intensity" has been an appropriate descriptor for AoH's work since their debut LP in 2011. Given the noise/power electronics/hardcore adjacent personnel, that comes as no surprise. Besides Solotroff, the band features Isidro Reyes (a member of all three of the aforementioned Solotroff projects) on metal percussion, guitarist Alex Latus (Still), Sam Wagster (Mute Duo) on bass guitar and lap steel, and drummer Skyler Rowe (Mute Duo, Still). For all the pummeling heaviness, a greater amount of subtly and nuance started to creep in on 2021’s Even if it Takes a Lifetime and 2023’s Black Openings, which becomes even more notable here.
The album opens with "Always Arriving," heralded by a rolling thunder of drums, distorted bass, and subtle metallic percussion that leads into Solotroff’s booming, declarative vocals, Here, he is singing more, however, a distinct change from the forceful, almost spoken word delivery featured on the early records. Soon, Latus brings in some massive, distorted guitar passages that lie between melody and monolithic riffing. What stands out the most is that the more conventional verse/chorus structure. This, coupled with the understated melodies, gives the chorus an earworm quality that lingers for a while after.
Perhaps even more of a departure from previous AoH albums is the opening acoustic/electric guitar pairing and marimba-like accents of "Conditions for Freedom." Already a more understated arrangement, it gives way to one of Solotroff’s most melodic vocals that I can recall in any of his projects. Evolving throughout its 13+ minute duration, the song drifts into melodic, bass driven spaces punctuated with Reyes’s metallic percussion, providing a nice contrast for the "softer" (in extremely relevant terms) feel. The song opens up a bit before segueing into a pounding doom-y section that is more reminiscent of the band’s earliest work. From here, the guitar goes from noise-squall into an almost thrash-metal chugging, ending the song in a way drastically different than it began.
A sparse passage of metal percussion is soon fleshed out into a full rhythm section on "The Importance of Risk," which is a throw-back to the band’s previous works in its relentless pummeling. Latus's guitar is intentionally all over the map, bouncing between noise and conventional tones that underscores everything excellently. Already a forceful song, the dramatic build to the conclusion is also very well achieved.
The closing "Paired Sentinels" is another significant move for the band compared to their earlier material. The opening has the pounding drums/guitar/vocals that is in line with the traditional AoH sound, but the double tracked vocals (one declarative, one melodic), which hints at the changes ahead. It is slower, almost funereal, with the synth and guitar generating a brilliant sense of bleakness. In a jarring transition, the pace quickly picks up, propelled by distorted bass and excellent guitar leads. Just as quickly as it came in, the mix opens up more, with Solotroff's vocals eventually yielding to a truly beautiful, lush conclusion.
Compared to their previous albums, the almost conventionally musical grounding and increased focus on nuance makes Paired Sentinels an exceptional record. The four songs also shift in tempo/dynamic frequently, making them even more captivating without ever seeming disjointed or slapped together. I am intentionally avoiding comparisons with any other artists, because AoH sounds like none of them. Seeing "for fans of" on a press release always makes me cringe, so I refuse to do such a thing here.
The album is also impossible to categorize by genre other than those vague descriptors of "heavy" and "intense," which even on their own cannot capture everything going on here. But I should note that I felt an undercurrent through their greater implementation of melody and traditional synths of that brief period where post-punk and new wave overlapped. The raw, spikiness of the former and the early melodic turn of the latter was not something I expected to hear on this album, but that’s what I got, and I loved it. I have been a fan of Anatomy of Habit since those first recordings, but I am really appreciating the development and evolution of their work. I hate naming favorite albums of the year in general (especially in July), but I know this one will be on the short list for sure come December.
https://www.screamblastrepeat.com/anatomy-of-habit-paired-sentinels/
1 August 2026
Kirk Houghton
Anatomy of Habit – Paired Sentinels
‘Anatomy of Habit expect you to follow them into the tumult of life. The most challenging exigencies often feel insurmountable, and the Chicago quintet are not here to sugar-coat things,’ said Scream Blast Repeat of 2023’s Black Opening. The lineup from that record and its 2021 predecessor is now at its most fertile. Paired Sentinels is the third album in five years, and there are no signs of complacency or going through the motions of pain. Indeed, its voyeurism and meditations on obsession will ask some difficult questions of the listener.
Like Joy Division at their moodiest and most daring, opener ‘Always Arriving’ works from a circular tom drum beat and thudding bassline. Mark Solotroff digs into the deepest range of his observational voice here as Alex Latus contemplates when to enter with his guitar textures. Often, the latter are loud and wrapped in a tsunami of distortion, yet they also provide a modicum of hope with the e-bow. At its heaviest, this art is one roar away from Cult of Luna. In the delicate moments, you can hear a band that developed a sixth sense through intense ritual repetition. This is music for the claustrophobe who wants the world to acknowledge his plight and then leave him alone.
The fragile melody of strummed guitar in the intro to ‘Conditions for Freedom’ will remind you of the 1989 transition album from Swans when they abandoned industrial music for a darker shade of folk. Sam Wagster’s bass and Skyler Rowe’s drums operate together like the delicate parts of a timepiece. Again, the guitar provides the dense atmospherics. You can sense a resignation to impending violence at the six-minute mark in the cloak of clanging arpeggios. These appear to have no direction other than to exist like inconsequential human breaths until they turn into staccato stabs and receive a regular beat. Then, you can hear Anatomy of Habit at their most animated. It’s a fury that aches as much as it combats the environment around it. Slow palm-muted scrapes and dissonant string bends throb like open sores on a blistered arm.
You might want to take a five-minute break before side B starts – it’s a testament to the power of the music. ‘The Importance of Risk’ is a post-punk puzzle for metalheads to dissect. Only one doubt will creep into your mind as you admire the unease of the Chicago group’s art: is this simply Joy Division with electric guitar technologies that were unavailable to the Mancunian legends in 1979? Play this song and then follow it with the first two tracks from Unknown Pleasures. It’ll help you see past the Joy Division similarities, though nobody can deny they exist, even in the delivery and sturdy rhythm of Solotroff’s voice. The main difference is the imagination of the guitar timbres. These are bleak yet also capable of finding the light in the darkness.
The down-tempo drawl of the closing title-track is how it would sound if you could go to heaven on your own terms in the spirit of an unreformed rogue. Skyler Rowe’s drum formations are ponderous and just about powerful enough to maintain a heartbeat. Here, Sam Wagster keeps things alive with the deep bass notes until the guitar demands a change of tempo at 04:40 and takes over the sonics like a wounded captain who finds a new strength to lead his men into the jaws of death. It’s a charge into madness that demands a retreat from reckless courage, and it comes in the form of a slow meditation of bass, drums and guitar chords that act like creatures hiding from danger. And the night silences this danger at the ten-minute mark, demanding rest from beast and prey alike. There is no energy for one last courageous stand as a pedal loop evaporates into the air and the combatants perish.
https://ninecircles.co/2026/07/31/receiving-the-evcharist-anatomy-of-habit-and-dokkaebier/
Receiving the Evcharist: Anatomy of Habit and Dokkaebier
Ian
July 31, 2026
I think it’s about time for another one of these, don’t you? It’s the freakin’ weekend, and what could possibly spell that late summer feeling more than…post-punk industrial doom metal and a kimchi kettle sour? Fear not on either front, dear reader. Just drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offerings: Anatomy of Habit’s Paired Sentinels and Dokkaebier’s Kimchi Sour.
Astute readers of the site will notice that this is nowhere near the first time we have featured Chi-town’s own Anatomy of Habit in these hallowed halls. They first came on my radar all the way back in 2021 with the release of Even If It Takes a Lifetime, and I just barely got beat out in reviewing the follow up Black Openings. Now we have the fifth full-length and the next installment from the band’s longest lived lineup in Paired Sentinels, a four track treatise on repetition, memory, identity and loss. Spearheaded as always by vocalist, lyricist and synth-ist Mark Solotroff, the band is rounded out by the rhythm section of Skyler Rowe on drums, Isidro Reyes on “metal percussion” and bassist Sam Wagster (who also provides lap steel on this release), as well as guitarist Alex Latus. Now, doom metal and post-punk might not have a *ton* in common with each other, but one thing that they do share is the necessity for a tight and prominent rhythm section, and thankfully Anatomy of Habit not only have the talent present in those respective roles, the fact that their rhythm section includes an extra person adding extra spice on top doesn’t inhibit their ability to lock in to a tight, driving groove. And you know what else? I am a fan of the trashcan percussion (it’s probably not a trashcan, I know). I think that Reyes’ work is subtle enough that it doesn’t crowd anything else out of the mix, but it also adds just the right amount of rhythmic and textural contrast to Rowe’s more traditional drums that you really get the sense that there is something unique and unconventional going on.
All four tracks on Paired Sentinels showcase Anatomy of Habit’s commitment to spectacle and their focus on long-form compositions, each featuring parts and motifs that build on each other slowly and surely, layer by layer. By necessity, a post-punk meets doom metal meets shoegaze meets industrial band needs a lot of moving parts, but the way Anatomy of Habit structure themselves and more importantly pace themselves allows each song to grow and bloom into something special by the time the climax hits. Of particular interest to me is how each song, but especially opener “Always Arriving,” is built around an ultra-melodic bassline that almost puts Wagster in the front as a lead instrument at times. A good bassline really nails down the post-punk feel, and these are some great basslines; still, when it’s time to get heavy, Anatomy of Habit don’t shy away. The doom comes in loud and clear (literally), with booming and chugging guitar riffs coupled with the atmosphere and eccentricities of old-school industrial. Paired Sentinels is a heavy album, no matter which way you slice it, but all the percussion and lap steel and bass and drums and synths and crooning vocals come together in a cohesive picture that is smooth and satisfying. Anatomy of Habit are a band that I think continually find ways to improve themselves and their proprietary formula, and Paired Sentinels just might be the best it has ever sounded.
Paired Sentinels is available now on Anatomy of Habit’s Bandcamp page. For more information, visit their official website.
https://consequence.net/2026/07/mining-metal-july-2026/
Mining Metal: Ænigmatum, Amargor, Anatomy of Habit, Arise from Worms, Cabinet, Coprolith, Hexorcist, Torpor
A rundown of the best underground metal releases of July 2026
Langdon Hickman
July 31, 2026
Mining Metal is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence contributing writers Langdon Hickman and Colin Dempsey. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts.
Anatomy of Habit – Paired Sentinels
Anatomy of Habit is a band that always has my ear when it comes to new material. They built their legacy over the past 15 years with an approach to industrial that mirrored the then-newly resurrected Swans. This new album adds more coherent senses of melody and color to their existing sound, moving away from the protoformal industrial of early Throbbing Gristle or Nurse With Wound toward something more akin to the goth rock sound that emerged from early post-punk mixed with a touch of the Scandinavian progressive alt rock that emerged in the 2000s. Previous records were forbidding stone that, upon remit, opened themselves up into emotionally intense transformative sequences. Paired Sentinels is significantly more approachable without abandoning their mission, acting as a perfect entry point for those who want to understand their approach before diving into their denser material. I love you, Anatomy of Habit. Buy it on Bandcamp.
Hear Anatomy of Habit’s Post-Industrial Galore on “Paired Sentinels”
Eeli
July 30, 2026
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that we over here at Everything Is Noise – yours truly especially – adore boundaryless artistry in all of its possible forms. While we always welcome the newcomers and first-timers around these perimeters, we also keep a close eye on all of those whose doings should be monitored in a keen manner. With some of them, we’ve been fortunate enough to work with on multiple occasions with no end in sight, and it is always a pleasure to offer a platform for these people. It’s almost as if meeting up with an old friend, given that the concept of friendship in this context is more of a ‘you do something and I talk about it‘ kind of an affair. Today, we’re exploring one such case.
At this point I’ve lost count about how many times I’ve written about Mark Solotroff, his WFA piece probably being the most important one, but as far as Anatomy of Habit as a band goes, I’ve only touched on the subject briefly. So what better way to amend that than to give you the full premiere of this post-punk/industrial/doom/psychedelic/shoegaze conglomerate’s new album Paired Sentinels right here, right now. So, put on your listening equipment, make room for the next 43 minutes or so, prepare to be thoroughly smitten, and proceed to hit play from below;
The Chicago-based quintet has been carving their own path through the figurative noise since their formation in 2008, albeit the members have made quite significant strides in their respective fields already decades prior. That said, Anatomy of Habit excels as its own thing and inhabits its own sonic space entirely, as a gathering of compositionally and visionally intelligent gentlemen, whose fifth album, and third with this line-up, Paired Sentinels is indeed available for engorging above and officially out tomorrow.
The band’s history is a streamlined evolution where an insane amount of different angles conjoin to one poignant and incredibly acute entity, and the four new songs are monolithic testaments to the fact. As their current line-up is also the longest standing one, the idea of progress and digging deeper into what makes Anatomy of Habit tick so efficiently is driven home, to deserved applause. While I’ve enjoyed their doings previously as well to a great degree, Paired Sentinels feels like an elevation of sorts, on multiple layers. Dynamically rich and thematically pertinent, especially the longer songs “Conditions For Freedom” and the titular track bear immense weight and provide enough details for you to obsess over for ages.
Even though Paired Sentinels bursts by the seams with the industrial galore and harshness, there’s also a fair amount of the positive type of airiness to it, and at times the mass reaches a critical point after which even the sky isn’t the limit. Those moments define Anatomy of Habit as a whole, and here they’re offered in near-egregious fashion. I must say that the noisier department, and especially the percussions seem to cut through a lot in a very palpable way, both for their own as well as the entirety’s benefit of course. There’s simply so much to bite into, that I’m probably just better off by saying that Paired Sentinels is a damn joy to listen to, and that is all there is to it.
So, hop on over to Anatomy of Habit‘s Bandcamp page to order the new record and be mindful of the fact that the vinyl comes with a bonus 7″ consisting of two instrumental tracks Solotroff devised together from rehearsal recordings. Once you’ve done that, go hit those follow buttons on the band’s Instagram and Facebook pages to stay on top of all future things concerning them. Meanwhile I’ll take this bad boy for another run.
https://yourlastrites.com/2026/07/30/anatomy-of-habit-paired-sentinels-review/
Anatomy Of Habit – Paired Sentinels Review
David Fonseca
July 30, 2026
During an early spin of Paired Sentinels, the fifth full-length album from Chicago’s Anatomy of Habit, a question-so-stupid-I-now-must-ask-it-in-public occurred to me: Does post-metal have anything to do with post-punk? If we really want to turn our mental deli-slicers to the finest setting, what I’m really trying to parse is something like “is post-metal a derivation of metal that is analogous to post-punk? Or is it meant to be a metalized version of post-punk?” Take this all with a grain of salt, of course, because metal sub-genres are largely devised post-facto by critics as a lexical shortcut and thus don’t teach us much at all about what inspires artists creatively. What post-punk has to do with post-metal doesn’t really matter, but the fact that Anatomy of Habit got me thinking about that connection kind of does.
Release date: July 31, 2026. Label: Self-Released. You’ll get where I’m coming from right off the top of “Always Arriving,” track one: dig that lightly reverb’d bassline set against a circular drum pattern, both of which lay a bed for vocals from Mark Solotroff that sound less sung than preached from a street corner near you.
Pull at this thread until it’s taut and what you’ll find at the other end isn’t Black Sabbath, it’s Joy Division. This journey to Manchester by way of The Second City lasts just a bit longer than a minute before the ‘eavy hammer falls for the first time, but it establishes a durable vibe. Anatomy of Habit do not sound like they play metal with post-punk flourishes; they sound like they play deeply rooted post-punk that ought to appeal to metalheads by dint of its heaviness.
Most importantly, the band can play.
While the compositions draft sketches of cold, industrial cityscapes, the performances themselves are pleasingly warm and lived in. Check out “The Importance of Risk,” a slow burner terraformed around the interplay between metal percussionist Isidro Reyes and drummer Skyler Rowe, the former laying down a clattering backbeat while the latter weaves a tribal pattern around it. Down-tuned power-chords repeatedly threaten to bring the track to peak intensity, only to pull back and make space for a recurring melodic bass figure to reveal itself as the true centerpiece. For me, this kind of stuff is so satisfying on a musical level and so inviting of repeat listens that it makes any game of pin the subgenre on the donkey feel kind of superfluous. Post-Metal? Metallic Post-Punk? Avant Post-Punk Doom? None of it matters as much as the fact that Anatomy of Habit are a sound and cohesive group of performers.
In total, Paired Sentinels comprises four tracks, and you’ll notice I’ve mentioned the two that run shorter than 10 minutes. The two longer pieces, “Conditions for Freedom” (13:41) and “Paired Sentinels” (13:33) will test your patience a bit more than the shorter tunes, but the payoff for close attention may be even more rewarding. “Conditions for Freedom,” in particular, is a trance-inducing waltz that walks precipitously close to the edge of combustion during the first half of its run-time before indulging in a free-form collapse for the duration of its second half. Closer “Paired Sentinels” functions either as a necessary exhale after the preceding 30 minutes of persistently ratcheting intensity or a mild comedown from a series of relative highs. In the right setting, my feeling is that it’s an appropriate wind-down, but in these highly distracted times, I empathize with listeners who will simply tune as the track fades away.
I spent perhaps too much time here dwelling on genre here, but what’s truly interesting to me is not what shoe best fits Anatomy of Habit, but how they walk their walk. Rather than employing the batch of genre tropes available in the post-metal starter pack, Anatomy of Habit sound like a group of ol’ fuckers whose collective record collection probably includes Closer, Streetcleaner, Filth, Journey Through a Body and Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions. Now, having functioned as a stable lineup for three consecutive albums, they’re operating from the same set of first principles that produced an album like Times of Grace, as opposed to cribbing from that album directly. But what it really sounds like is an album only Anatomy of Habit could make.
https://therazorsedge.rocks/2026-07-album-review-anatomy-of-habit/
Album Review: Anatomy of Habit – Paired Sentinels
July 27, 2026
Matthew Williams
There’s always a part of me that smiles when I hear a drum beat start off a song, even more so when it’s joined by a bellowing bassline. It’s a simple, uncomplicated process that sets the standard for what is about to follow, and drummer Skylar Rowe and bassist Sam Wagster do a splendid job on opening track “Always Arriving”. The song develops further, with the guitars and vocals spiralling over the hypnotic rhythm as the band invite you into their sphere.
“Paired Sentinels” is the fifth album from Chicago’s Anatomy of Habit as they return with a winning combination of cross genre sounds including doom, noise, shoegaze and post punk. The first track has been described by vocalist Mark Solotroff as “a study of what we leave behind” and like being “caught between the weight of where we’ve been and the certainty of what’s coming”. It’s an interesting opener and leads into “Conditions For Freedom” which has further dynamic and atmospheric sounds layered over a shifting guitar presence and low-end bass.
You need to dig in on this one, as it over thirteen minutes long, but as with the other three songs, it explores “repetition, memory and identity… that shape longing and loss”. The droning adds a certain vulnerability and rawness to the composition that are exemplified by the openness of the vocals from Solotroff. There’s a dramatic shift in the middle section of the song, that makes you stop and think, as the music guides your mind to another world before it comes back to life.
The drums take the lead again on “The Importance of Risk” before the vocals pierce the stop start noise on the track. With the bass again being prominent, it allows for more experimental guitar work from Alex Latus, combined with a plethora of abrasive noises from metal percussionist Isidro Reyes. With all manner of different instruments being used, the repetitive nature of the music is there for all to hear, and it should be complimented as the band have evolved whilst sustaining their creative passion.
The final song, which bares the album title, gives off a strange, almost David Lynch feel to it, as the ambient sounds float around your head, as if you are having an out of body experience looking down upon Earth. Yet, about a quarter of the way in, the group erupt into a short fit of rage, before being scolded like a child and brought back to their sedentary pace. It’s a song full of mystery and intrigue as if it’s searching for something but maybe not fully understanding what it is searching for.
https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2026/07/15/track-premiere-anatomy-of-a-habit-paired-sentinels/
Track Premiere: Anatomy of a Habit – “Paired Sentinels”
July 15, 2026 Adem Tepedelen
Strap in for an epic journey with the premier of the nearly 14-minute new track (we hesitate to call it a “single”), “Paired Sentinels,” from Chicago post-punk doomsters Anatomy of a Habit. The lengthy piece is the title track—and one of four songs—on the veteran quintet’s fifth long-player. These gentlemen—Alex Latus (guitar), Isidro Reyes (metal percussion), Skyler Rowe (drums), Mark Solotroff (vocals/analog synth), Sam Wagster (bass/lap steel guitar)—have crafted a doomy, gothic dirge that feels almost meditational. Solotroff’s resonant, baritone vocals are hypnotic over the slow-morphing composition, a sound that seems to reference Joy Division, Fields of Nephilim and early Death Cult. It’s dark, cold and gloomy.
Paired Sentinels was recorded and mixed by Sanford Parker at Palisade Studios and at Hypercube. Mastering was done by Collin Jordan at the Boiler Room. It’s set for release on vinyl, CD, cassette and digitally on July 31. Place your preorder here.
Vocalist Mark Solotroff explained his lyrical approach to the track:
“Writing the title track, ‘Paired Sentinels,’ felt like examining the exact space where a profound connection turns into a heavy, isolating weight. The song deals with the fragile dynamics of mutual observation; two entities standing guard over a relationship or a creative obsession, trying to maintain the smooth surface while the foundation is splintering. Musically and lyrically, it captures that tipping point where your identity begins to fracture and a shared bond quietly transitions into a fantasy of escape. It’s a look at the wreckage left behind when the things that originally elevated you become your greatest source of pain.”
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/anatomy-of-habit-paired-sentinels.html
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Anatomy of Habit : "Paired Sentinels"
This is the third album I've reviewed by this band, and with each one, they seem to be getting it a little more dialed in. The album has four songs, two of which are over thirteen minutes. The second and last song, respectively.The seven and a half minutes. opening track to this one finds them taking the post-industrial throb and jamming it out with a hypnotic drone that adds layers of sound to build it dynamically. Not complex arrangements, really just taking the theme and running with it. The baritone vocals calling out amid it all. It works in this context, but not sure I would want an entire album of this.
The second song, "Conditions of Freedom," finds the bass line opening things up, and strummed guitars adding texture. The vocals are less ominous and sound like Interpol trying to pay tribute to Swans, as they are more of a chant than a verse-chorus arrangement. The Swans' influence is much more present here than on the first song, but not as obvious to the common ear as on their last album. Midway into the second song, they ease the build down and add more dynamics. It also gets moodier. before bringing it back in with a pound that recalls Swan's earlier angrier days.
"The Importance of Risk" is more rooted in their own identity. The bass line grooves more. The vocals shift away from the Michael Gira influence and toward more of a stoned speculation. There is a bit of a hypnotic drone even here, which is just this band's thing. The vocals are a narrative, but not adding a great dealaside a human element. There is a little brighter, more hopeful mood to the title track that closes the album. The guitar melody that comes in brings a more melancholic edge. This might be the album's melodic moment that also brings a tinge of Pink Floyd to things for this reason. They also get closest to their most metal moment on this album with the riff it all builds up into. I will give this album a 9, as I think they continue to grow as a band.
ANATOMY OF HABIT – Offers First Cut From Forthcoming Fifth Full‑Length Paired Sentinels
Written by Jerneja
30 June 2026
Chicago's avant‑garde post‑punk/doom vanguards group Anatomy Of Habit return with Paired Sentinels, which the band will issue independently on 31 July. The entrancing new work marks their fifth full‑length and the third created by the ensemble's longest‑running line‑up.
Paired Sentinels extends this trajectory. Following Even If It Takes A Lifetime (2021) and Black Openings (2023), the new album stands as the culmination of the group's most prolific and unified era — their most cohesive and most vulnerable work to date, underscoring Anatomy Of Habit's commitment to evolution and sustained creative intensity.
Across its four tracks, the record explores repetition, memory, identity, and the unstable structures that shape longing and loss. Solotroff's lyrics shift between stark observation and internal monologue, tracing cycles of obsession, dislocation, and renewal. The language is compressed, incantatory, and ritualistic, echoing the ensemble's longstanding interest in psychological excavation and the tension between interior and exterior worlds.
Musically, Paired Sentinels deepens the band's collective vocabulary. The compositions unfold with a sense of inevitability, balancing monolithic force with moments of openness and fragility. The result is a record that feels both meticulously constructed and emotionally raw — a testament to endurance, collaboration, and the ongoing search for meaning within sound.
In advance of the album's arrival, Anatomy Of Habit present the striking first track, "Always Arriving".
Solotroff comments: "Writing 'Always Arriving' felt like navigating a very specific temperament – that heavy, internal state where willpower starts to thin out and you find yourself leaning back into the past just to find your footing. There's a tension in the song that carries the feeling of being perpetually in transit, always arriving but never quite touching the ground. Utilising repetition in Anatomy Of Habit isn't about circling back to the start; it's more like digging into the same patch of earth until you hit something archaic, something that feels like a foundational truth. This song is a study of what we leave behind, the traces and gestures that remain even when we feel out of step with everything around us. It's a mute testimony, a quiet obsession that keeps building until it finally hits the reality of mortality. We're left suspended there, caught between the weight of where we've been and the certainty of what's coming".
Recorded and mixed by Sanford Parker — marking the group's fourth collaboration with the renowned producer — and mastered by Collin Jordan, Paired Sentinels bears the sonic clarity and weight that have become hallmarks of Anatomy Of Habit's most focused era.
Paired Sentinels will be released on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats. The LP edition includes a bonus 7‑inch featuring two instrumental pieces created by Solotroff using practice‑space recordings.
In related news, Chicago's Twelve Ten Gallery will host a special album‑launch event on Saturday, 18 July. The evening begins with a conversation between Anatomy Of Habit's vocalist, lyricist, and co‑founder Mark Solotroff and gallery director Joshua Johnson, reflecting on the ensemble's nearly two‑decade history and creative approach. The discussion will consider the conceptual processes, influences, and collaborations that have shaped the band's practice.
Following the conversation, attendees are invited to a listening session featuring selections from Paired Sentinels and the group's catalogue, offering an opportunity to engage with Anatomy Of Habit's music through sustained, focused listening. A public Q&A and informal reception will follow.
Copyright © 2026 Anatomy of Habit - All Rights Reserved.