Acrylics

'Acrylics'
Acrylics
2016

(Band Submission)

Review by Joey (taking the edge off, going for a softer FBN)

Genre/s: Hardcore Punk, Noise Rock, Noise Punk
For Fans Of: Mystery Product, Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, Technical Ecstasy, The Cysts

I'm seriously kicking myself for missing Acrylics when they played Philly recently (and not just because it was with Blank Spell and Cape Of Bats). Acrylics is one of those rare bands who really gets it when it comes to making genuinely twisted punk -- and if you're familiar with this blog, you know how harsh of a critic I am with this stuff. There are no gimmicks, nor does it feel as if they're trying too hard to prove how "weird" they are; just truly disconcerting bursts of anxious energy.

I actually had to think a bit about what bands to compare this to. There's a lot going on here: erratic tempo shifts; tortuous bass lines; and totally absurd, unnerving guitar work that exists in a place where Greg Ginn, East Bay Ray, and Dome (from CCM) all meet. I wouldn't say that Acrylics sounds much like either Black Flag or Dead Kenendys, but I get the feeling that this guitarist definitely has spent some time with the B-side of Damaged/1982 demos and Plastic Surgery Disasters. Do I really need to elaborate on how scary and fucked that sounds? And while I think there should be a background check required to get a chorus pedal considering the obnoxious over-saturation we've seen in the past couple years from punks-trying-too-hard, the chorus pedals on this definitely work to highlight the weirdness of the riffs, rather than acting as the source of it. There are also drums on this release (in case you thought there weren't), and they work perfectly in tandem with the bass to fill up as much space as possible, which of course gives room for more off kilter guitar work. Subtlety is a real strength here, as the drummer's understated use of accenting really drives this whole thing forward.

Look, basically this is some really fucked up shit, and that's what you come to this blog for, right? The other bands I mentioned should be enough to pique your interest, so smash that fucking download, motherfucker, and get fucking wrecked.

Tracklisting:
1. Shame
2. The Germ
3. Mamma's Boy
4. Nada Nada
5. He Wants A Baby
6. Waiting

DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)