Gnohms’ “re-debut” album is a schizophrenic jumble of styles, ranging from headache-inducing proto-punk to lackadaisical indie à la Dandys Rule OK. Although they formed in 2013, Gnohms return like freshmen, desperate to impress with their harsh, blown-out sound and to provoke with their too-cool-for-school lyrics.
In ‘Marihuana Is a Lot of Fun’, catchy, primitive hooks and droning vocals lay a foundation that’s undermined by pseudo-inflammatory lyrics about the joy of getting high. ‘Hospital Drugs’ also pairs satisfying riffs with lyrics unlikely to amuse or offend anyone born after 1950.
On the punk side, tracks like ‘Fly Swat Dictator’ and ‘Tyme Vampyre’ rely on a thudding, flat-as-a-pancake sound to make an impression. Sometimes, finding the song behind the layers of distorted sonic chaos is a challenge.
Some of the schtick on display – track one is “by Gnohms, feat. Gnohms” – is genuinely funny, but this is an awkward teenager of an album, trying to hide its shortcomings by acting out.
5/10
