New Miserable Experience are a Philadelphia-rooted collective that reshapes heavy-music rigor into expansive, melody-forward songs through alternative synth-rock. What started as a file-trading collaboration between vocalist/bassist David Grossman (ex-Rosetta) and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Mahesh Kost (Model Prisoner) expanded into a full band that now includes Rosetta drummer Bruce “B.J.” McMurtrie Jr., technical-metal bassist Brett Bamberger (ex-Revocation), and guitarist Brody Uttley (Rivers of Nihil). Each member of New Miserable Experience contributes a distinctive sonic fingerprint. The vocals act as the emotional center, delivering lines that feel confessional and immediate; synths and guitars are constructed with shimmering arpeggios and decisive motifs; percussion and production choices blend groove and tension within electronic nuance; and bass work often functions as a countermelody, lifting refrains and anchoring transitions. Together the five players emphasize careful craft over spectacle, shaping a song that rewards patient listening. Across the twelve tightly arranged tracks of third album Gild The Lily, the band pares its palette to essential elements: clear melodies, precise dynamics, and richly textured production. The album trades overt bombast for craft, building emotional weight through small gestures and patient arrangements rather than moments of spectacle. Elements of Gild the Lily combine alternative synth rock with chorus-tinted guitars, and a rhythm section that alternates between taut propulsion and roomy, reverb-soaked space. Elements of artists as lauded and disparate as Crosses, Ulver, The Black Queen, and more combine to irresistible effect. | 
