Assertion

Intermission

Regular price $24.99

As the dust settled on an impressive list of former endeavors, it was an unlikely series of human connections that sparked the inception of Assertion. After years of self-described music industry PTSD and disenchantment, drummer William Goldsmith (Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft, Foo Fighters), guitarist/vocalist Justin Tamminga (Blind Guides, Dying Trades), bassist Bryan Gorder united through a series of serendipitous events. Best described adjectively, the band's debut LP, Intermission, is real, propulsive, and earnest -- a cathartic experience that proudly does not nestle nicely alongside current bands -- or really many releases at all from the last couple decades. Intermission conjures more connections to the heady grit and soaring grind of the 90's. Driving guitars anchored by a frenetic rhythm section. A haunting vocal delivery concealing a heartfelt sentiment. Track-by-track, the record builds into a dark and heavy crescendo but unpredictably retreats into delicate and fragile moments in masterful ways.


One of the best albums of 2021

- Rolling Stone

1. Down Into The Depths
2. The Lamb To The Slaughter Pulls A Knife
3. Defeated
4. This Dream Does Not Work
5. Pushed To The Limit
6. Deeper In The Shallow
7. This Lonely Choir
8. Supervised Suffering
9. Set Fire

Third pressing limited to 300 copies:

• Orange / Milky Clear Swirl with Ultra Clear Splatter (100)
• Orange and Black Swirl (100)
• Transparent Orange with Black & White Twist (100)

Full color jacket printed on reverseboard stock with full-color uncoated innersleeve.

Second pressing limited to 300 copies:

• Sonics (Green/White/Yellow Stripe) (100) - SOLD OUT
• M's (Royal Blue/Yellow/Baby Blue Stripe) (100) - SOLD OUT
• 12 (Royal Blue/Silver/Green Stripe) (100) - SOLD OUT

First pressing limited to 300 copies:

• Black/Orange/Black Stripe (200) - SOLD OUT
• Transparent Orange and Black Swirl (100) - SOLD OUT

All orders include an instant hi-quality download of Intermission.

“Supervised Suffering” is a sprawling track that moves effortlessly from simmering verses to explosive choruses." - Rolling Stone

"If you know William Goldsmith’s name, it’s likely linked to one of the bands he played with in the Nineties — Seattle emo luminaries Sunny Day Real Estate, and a little group called the Foo Fighters. But Intermission, the debut by the drummer’s new Tacoma, Washington, power trio Assertion, and Goldsmith’s first release following a lengthy hiatus from music, shows that he’s still a vital creative force. The band’s approach is familiar: passionate, post-hardcore–leaning indie rock that makes liberal use of quiet/loud dynamic shifts, in other words, a sound that wouldn’t have been out of place in the heyday of Goldsmith’s former bands. Its execution, on the other hand, is exceptional: Goldsmith, bassist Bryan Gorder, and guitarist-vocalist Justin Tamminga (whose best-known prior outfit is Pig Snout, an adorable band that’s filled out by his kids) perform these nine cathartic songs with a rare fire and conviction. Tamminga’s full, gorgeously organic production only ups the urgency. When the trio kicks into an anthemic gut-punch chorus like the one on “Defeated,” you’ll wish with every fiber of your being that you were howling along at a sweaty club gig."- Rolling Stone

"...they sound straight out of the mid '90s post-hardcore era. William's drumming style is very similar to his work on Diary, and the dark, heavy, atmospheric songs recall stuff like Hum, Jawbox, and Quicksand. Assertion put a fresh spin on this stuff..."- Brooklynvegan

"It’s likely a promising sign that this deep into his career—after drumming for the original iterations of Foo Fighters and Sunny Day Real Estate—William Goldsmith is able to create music with new bandmates that instantaneously clicks...sounds like a bit of a blend of these two bands, while dipping into the heavy shoegaze movement that paralleled grunge and emo in the ’90s. Their latest single from their forthcoming debut, Intermission, sounds akin to the dense rock of bands like Hum and Far.”- Flood Magazine

“Supervised Suffering” is a sprawling track that moves effortlessly from simmering verses to explosive choruses." - Rolling Stone

Genre
Alternative
Album Length
42:03
Release Date
April 9, 2021
Catalog Number
SPAR079
Formats
LP / Digital