Initially living in Brooklyn, guitarist/vocalist Brady Keehn and drummer/vocalist Melissa Scaduto made a jump to Los Angeles on a whim as the financial climate in New York became too much. Within months of being in LA, the two conveniently met bassist Kenny Elkin and guitarist/keyboardist Eddie Wuebben. Occultism, specifically a deeper understanding of astrology, was a connection made, hence the name Sextile, an astrological term that relates to harmony and the ease of expression of two seemingly different elements.

With urgency, the band quickly completed A Thousand Hands, a primitive form of rock n' roll, melding surf punk, early industrial, ambient and post-punk. The album title is inspired by a form of spirit channeling that Wuebben was experimenting with one night. After doing open eye meditation for a long period of time, he observed thousands of hands reaching down towards him, violently in an extremely frightening, simultaneously exciting manor. The experience left such an impression on the band, it became the first track on the album as well the album title.

Sextile waste no time setting a somber tone with openers “A Thousand Hands” and “Flesh.” Menacing guitars blend into dark, rumbling synths as driving militaristic drumming leads the focused charge into a yet, unknown danger while Keehn’s vocals prepare us for the trouble to come. “Can’t Take It” is where the struggle really starts to show it’s ugly face. Keehn’s take on infatuation, desire, the unattainable and the fear of loss starts nice enough with bubbling synths and suddenly bursts into screams of frustration while the guitar frantically drives through the fluctuating emotions at hand. The band spend the next few tracks trying to crush that feeling of loss with such primal and unforgiving ferocity, you wonder if they’ll make it through the anguish. Ambient interlude “Romance” is a welcome comedown and acceptance of what it’s like to lose a part of yourself. Or maybe they're so exhausted from the self abuse that exhaustion is the only option left without collapsing into oblivion.

The second side of A Thousand Hands take an unexpectedly bold turn when Scaduto’s seductive female vocals glide along tribal drums and a psychedelic synth line that channels a whole other world of Sextile’s dynamic sound. Standout single “Shattered Youth” is the most infectious use of stark synths over rhythmic drumming while Keehn sings about loss of control and the end of innocence, pulling directly from both Scaduto’s and Keehn’s personal life experiences. The immediacy of “Visions of You” hits hard with the most propulsive drums and unrelenting guitars yet. Sextile are on a mission and nothing can get in their way on A Thousand Hands. While Sextile’s journey has moments of bleakness, the band express their will to live, to confront their demons and forge on in search of better days.