Fossil Arms
Only Ever Have Nightmares When I’m Ill
Self-Released
Street: 10.17.14 
Fossil Arms = New Order + Ian Curtis

If Salt Lake City can claim its own musical John Hughes, it’d be Chaz Costello—he’s adept at creating an inclusive, fist-to-the-sky experience in any band that he’s in. Fossil Arms, Costello’s darkwave synth n’ bass project, with the equally stellar Melody Maglione, has been a thrilling presence in Salt Lake for years now, and are probably “thee” band that finally got all of your punk friends to accept a goth lifestyle. Only Ever Have Nightmares When I’m Ill contains songs that have been punctuating Fossil Arms’ performances for over a year, and they now exist in physical cassette form—with help from Diabolical Records—and digitally, on fossilarmsnoise.bandcamp.com. The tape’s seven tracks comprise the same drama of a Fossil Arms performance, albeit without the veil of flowers attached to the mic that Costello typically sings from, or the duo’s occasional equipment malfunctions. Take the album’s closer, “Black & White,” for example: Costello’s processed vocals and chorus-laden bass merges with Maglione’s steady drum machine and post-punk flavored keyboards—it’s a well-polished, absorbing listen. Put on your Robert Smith–red lipstick, your favorite jean jacket and goth all the way with Fossil Arms. –Christian Schultz