The sound of art-punk quartet ĠENN displays their collective expertise: tenacious drum strains from UK post-punk, sinuous vocal melodies impressed by Maltese people music, and the heavy guitars of recent psych-rock and even nu-metal. Fashioned in Malta earlier than shifting to Brighton, the quartet has performed collectively for a decade, releasing an album titled Titty Monster underneath the identify Cryptic Road in 2018. On Unum, their debut as ĠENN, the group balances their uneasy seek for id with a assured presentation. It’s an bold report that also leaves room for mischief.
Main the cost is songwriter and vocalist Leona Farrugia, who attracts on the alienation that comes with being an outsider to look at the seek for id. “Rohmeresse” begins on a deadpan group refrain (“I wanna keep in all day, I wanna sleep in all day, all day!”), then shifts into wordless, exploratory prog rock. On the refrain of “Heloise,” Janelle Borg incorporates downtuned nu-metal guitar, drummer Sofia Rose Cooper borrows from math rock, and bassist Leanne Zammit leans into ’70s prog, whereas Farrugia’s howls of romantic obsession channel Karen O and Sue Tompkins concurrently. Surprising touches just like the clave accent on “A Muse (In Limbo)” or the birdbrained zoneout “Le Saut du Pigeon” play like endearing inside jokes, relieving the musical pressure. It’s undoubtedly a studio report, however one with the chaotic vitality of a casual jam.
On much less dense songs, there’s much less to cover behind, and the easy method produces extra blended outcomes. “Days and Nights,” led by Zammit’s snaking bassline, is an old school rocker about modern uncertainty, with an incredible line about “strolling aimlessly with a heightened need to outlive.” “A Reprise (That Lady)” is all-out dance-punk full with handclaps and deadpan sprechgesang, the place satirical judgements about social-media influencers give strategy to a bigger proclamation: “Demise upon the mundane!” However whereas “Rohmeresse” invokes French New Wave director Éric Rohmer by identify, the lyrics may match any filmmaker recognized for depicting trendy ennui.
ĠENN’s frenetic, jagged riffs and discursive preparations are as arresting as these of any band working in the identical area. Nice because the bluster sounds, although, its objective just isn’t all the time clear. There are moments of deeper perception (about the best way capitalism bleeds over into relationships on “The Service provider Of,” or the solace to be present in peeling potatoes on “Rohmeresse”), nevertheless it’s by no means revelatory in the identical manner because the band’s greatest preparations. Unum nonetheless covers a powerful quantity of floor in 40 minutes: ĠENN have a knack for embedding accessible hooks and foolish musical particulars inside advanced and unconventional buildings. There are worse foundations to construct upon.
