Girl Band - The Talkies
Girl Band’s new pronoun free album is threatening and disorientating in a way that places it firmly in the bracket of sonic surrealism. The lyrics twist and turn alongside the percussion, more as a phonic aid than a contextualising device. Inventive motifs laden in cacophonous reverb hide below the riot, rising-up at times and really demonstrating the band’s sense for melody.
The overblown bass throbs and pulsates, while the pounding percussion hisses and snaps. It culminates as an abstract chamber of noise. Existing barely within the realms of control, Girl Band somehow demonstrate restraint and technique while delivering their cacophonous assault.
This album is their finest and clearest artistic vision yet. They’ve shown themselves to be a creative powerhouse, it isn’t a typical album, it requires a bit of commitment, but every listen is rewarding, and it never fails to illicit a reaction.
If they committed to something less abstract, they could create something that really pushed the boundaries of pop music – although something about them indicates that their only way to create excellent music is through this thick layer of inaccessibility, which is not bad, not bad at all.
8.5/10
