Retox - Yppl (20/12/2013)
The hardcore punk act Retox (featuring Justin Pearson of grindcore legends The Locust) are unrelenting from the first shrieking lick. Do you remember your first visit to the dentist? The first time you ever heard the suckers and scrappers and drills, the feeling knowing that they were about to shove inside your mouth? Retox have taken that churning feeling of dread that young you felt and morphed it into their sophomore album YPPL. And, unsurprisingly, it sounds a lot like a dentist’s drill.
The highlight of the album is guitarists Michael Crain’s ability to create uncomfortable yet terrifyingly catchy hooks with his instruments. Most of the time you’ll find yourself singing along with Crain’s melody rather that Pearson’s shrieking, especially on tracks like Soviet Reunion and The Art of Really Sucking. There are times where it does sound a tad samey throughout the record, but those times are few at most.
Pearson’s lyrics are witty and surreal, and delivered with a paranoid panic that almost seems contagious. For example, take the lyrics of opener Modern Balls: “Quit reaching for the stars because you will never be one. Ten out of twelve men don’t understand simple fractions. Garbage in, garbage out. Who’s milking the cow now? Man’s mammary glands.” Instantly, you can see the distortion and terror that he encompasses from just how frantic the switch in topics are and just what they are.
Brian Evans must also be commended on some of the most intense drumming released in 2013. There are times where it sounds more as if a barrage of machine gun fire has hit the studio, particularly on the first half of closer Consider the Scab Already Picked.
Like most things, there is room for improvement on YPPL. The bass is underused for most of the album, which is quite a disappointment as you can clearly hear the skill in Thor Dickey’s work during the few times it Is allowed to shine through. To add to that, the album feels as if it could be fleshed out a bit more with a few more tracks. After all, the entire LP only clocks in at 22 minutes long.
If you are into Pearson’s other projects like The Locust and Swing Kids, then you’ll most definitely enjoy this. It’s an aggressive, dissonant piece that echoes all musicians involved influences greatly. If you are into hardcore punk at all, you should most definitely give YPPL a chance. It’s a fantastic throwback to the origins of the genre while adding its own noise based twist to everything. However, if you are into the more melodic side of punk and hardcore or new to the genre at all, you may want to give this one a skip.
Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’ve got to go get a tooth pulled…
Ben Spencer
The highlight of the album is guitarists Michael Crain’s ability to create uncomfortable yet terrifyingly catchy hooks with his instruments. Most of the time you’ll find yourself singing along with Crain’s melody rather that Pearson’s shrieking, especially on tracks like Soviet Reunion and The Art of Really Sucking. There are times where it does sound a tad samey throughout the record, but those times are few at most.
Pearson’s lyrics are witty and surreal, and delivered with a paranoid panic that almost seems contagious. For example, take the lyrics of opener Modern Balls: “Quit reaching for the stars because you will never be one. Ten out of twelve men don’t understand simple fractions. Garbage in, garbage out. Who’s milking the cow now? Man’s mammary glands.” Instantly, you can see the distortion and terror that he encompasses from just how frantic the switch in topics are and just what they are.
Brian Evans must also be commended on some of the most intense drumming released in 2013. There are times where it sounds more as if a barrage of machine gun fire has hit the studio, particularly on the first half of closer Consider the Scab Already Picked.
Like most things, there is room for improvement on YPPL. The bass is underused for most of the album, which is quite a disappointment as you can clearly hear the skill in Thor Dickey’s work during the few times it Is allowed to shine through. To add to that, the album feels as if it could be fleshed out a bit more with a few more tracks. After all, the entire LP only clocks in at 22 minutes long.
If you are into Pearson’s other projects like The Locust and Swing Kids, then you’ll most definitely enjoy this. It’s an aggressive, dissonant piece that echoes all musicians involved influences greatly. If you are into hardcore punk at all, you should most definitely give YPPL a chance. It’s a fantastic throwback to the origins of the genre while adding its own noise based twist to everything. However, if you are into the more melodic side of punk and hardcore or new to the genre at all, you may want to give this one a skip.
Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’ve got to go get a tooth pulled…
Ben Spencer