by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Last year Oakland punks Nopes released Never Heard Of It, a blown out album that combined hardcore, noise rock, and garage punk into their own chaotic lo-fi sound. Full of shredding guitars and Alex Petralia's demented howl, Nopes stood out from the pack by embracing diversity with a sound they're calling "weird core". On May 26th the band are back with Fun Limbo, a new 7" EP built on a menacing mix of sludge, deranged pop, and violent punk. If the record's first single "Shedding" highlighted the capable madness and explorative nature of their last album, "Steady," the EP's opening track, is all clawing ferocity.
Barely over a minute in length, "Steady" packs in the filth, exploding from the very first second until it's last, peeling back the manic shouts and blistering riffs periodically to highlight the band's low end groove and the kinetic chemistry between Kevin Sweeney (bass) and Gabe Simmons (drums). A song about the steady regression of culture and society (kicked up a notch since the past election), Nopes tear into their wild noise soaked punk by toeing the line between decisive control and reckless endangerment. Eagret Hansen's brilliant guitar leads thrash with a deceptively twangy fury like the hopped up mutant child of Greg Sage and Duane Denison, exploding over dense rhythms and deafening destruction. It's the song these times deserve, an ugly dose of primal catharsis.
Nopes' Fun Limbo is out May 26th via Magnetic Eye Records.