PITTSBURGH, Pa. — If New York City’s noise-rock scene defines a moment in time for an underground musical movement of the past, a new band has been assembled to claw open a fresh chapter in the art form.

For those in the know next week, the South Side of Pittsburgh will be bracing for Human Impact.

Members from some of NYC’s most notable pioneering noise-rock bands — Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop and Swans — make up the new four-piece group that began collaborating in 2018 before honing new material and releasing their self-titled debut, “Human Impact,” last year.

The members’ previous bands were spawned as far back as the late 1980s and early 1990s in booming, sweaty clubs like CBGB and other far less notable dives around the Big Apple. They since emerged as pillars of post-punk artistry that are known to use cranked amplifiers to quench a thirst for trail-blazing, avant-guard sounds.

Human Impact's 2020 self-titled debut album

We caught up with Human Impact’s keyboardist/electronics wizard Jim Coleman last week while the band was together rehearsing in Brooklyn, N.Y., in preparation for their very first U.S. tour.

“We’re normally pretty dispersed — from New York City to Savannah, Ga., to Texas and California,” Coleman said, noting that although all of the member’s previous bands were known as being based in NYC, most of them have taken root in soils across the country.

The tour actually kicks off in Brooklyn Friday night, followed by gigs in Baltimore, Md., and Philadelphia, Pa., this weekend before the band heads into the heart of the country, stopping at Club Cafe on Pittsburgh’s South Side on Tuesday night, Nov. 30.

“While we all come out of bands that got up and running in the 1990s, Human Impact is very much a band of the times we are currently in,” Coleman said, noting that the dark tone of the band’s material is reflective of the often frustratingly abrasive state of the world today. “The lyrical content, the sonic qualities, and the visuals we employ all come out of and reflect upon the current world we inhabit.”

Coleman said “dystopian” is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe the sound of Human Impact — and the world today.

Human Impact

“For a minute, it looked like things were going to lighten up, and we would have to start writing happier music, but it just didn’t happen,” he said.

In the early days, Coleman performed with drummer Phil Puleo in the band Cop Shoot Cop. Puleo subsequently played with bassist Chris Pravdica in Swans. The new band is rounded out by guitarist and lead vocalist Chris Spencer, who until just recently fronted the band Unsane before announcing his departure from his longtime group and the start of Human Impact with Coleman, Puleo and Pravdica.

Since word began spreading about the veteran player’s collaboration for this new project, Human Impact has been dubbed a “supergroup” of noise-rock titans — a term that Coleman dismissed.

“I’ve never really liked the term ‘supergroup’ — it seems like a recipe for disappointment, and seems so based on ego,” he explained. “That being said, I think there is strength in the music we make, and it does emerge from our individual and shared foundations. But we really hope that new listeners can approach our music with open ears and no expectations. Hear it on its own merits, and avoid putting it into context with what has come before.”

Human Impact’s launch across the United States comes as a long-awaited venture after last year. The band dropped its debut album and just began playing right as the COVID-19 pandemic put the entire nation on pause.

“Our first album was released on March 13, 2020, and we played a show on March 14, 2020 in New York City,” Coleman said. “One hour after we finished, NYC went into lockdown. I mentioned how our music has a dystopian edge — so somehow this timing felt perfect.”

Perhaps it was not the most advantageous time to hit their stride as a new band, Coleman said, but the mood and theme of the situation itself made it seem like they had just written the soundtrack for the unprecedented times.

“We did have a few tours scheduled that got canceled, so we are really looking forward to finally getting out there,” he said.

Human Impact’s live shows promise to deliver high energy and a unique experience, Coleman said, noting that the audience and the room truly factor into the vibe of the performance.

“Just as a band can and should be greater than the sum of its parts, a live show can be an elevated shared experience,” Coleman said. “We stand behind our recorded material 100 percent, no doubt. But the music we make is first and foremost a live, visceral experience. When it’s on and we have that shared connection with the band and between the band and the audience — the volume, the energy, the edge of it puts us all in the moment — here and now — the only true reality we have.”

In addition to the band’s self-titled 2020 debut, Human Impact released “EP01” earlier this year. Both releases on the independent label Ipecac Recordings (co-founded by Faith No More frontman Mike Patton) share brooding sound that conjures images of broken concrete and rusted steel in stark, industrial alleys draped in shadow. Spencer’s gritty voice almost evades harmony in a way that makes you listen more intensely, as he preaches with ice in his veins and steel in his eyes.

For those who have not yet heard the music of Human Impact, there are songs and videos online and available for anyone to check out.

“Obviously, our music is not for everyone,” Coleman said. “We’ll let the music do the talking. If you are reading this and haven’t heard of us, check out one of our songs or a video. If it resonates with you, we would love to have you at the show. If you are familiar with our music, we will be playing a couple of new songs as well.

“Come down and see a powerful live band after 18-plus months of staring at screens!”

Human Impact takes the stage Tuesday night, Nov. 30, at Club Cafe, 56 S. 12th St., Pittsburgh. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and show time is 8 p.m. with the band Microwaves opening the show.

For more information, visit the venue or the band’s websites.