by Kris Handel
Over the past few years, and a couple of EPs, Western Mass based trio EIEIEIO have been wielding their warped and wild noise punk mayhem, careening around gang vocals aided by jazzy freak outs, aided by math-rock flourishes. The trio consists of Max Goldstein, Zosia Kochanski, and Sam Brivic, who all change instruments and sing/yell along with each other, creating a zany and untamed musical abandon that roars from the speakers almost breathlessly. There are elements of free-form noodle by the likes of The Minutemen at their somewhat slower moments mixed with Hella/Lightning Bolt clatter and intensity. Though their songs are generally pretty short, their tightly wound execution is met with an almost absurdity in structure and wit that permeates everything. EIEIEIO do get intense but they even that out with a humor and intelligence that shines through.
The band take on some interesting subject matter on songs like "Big Artist Man" and "Wah (I'm a Little Baby Boy)," with a fierce attitude and a raw performance fury that comes out of the speakers swinging. The former contains Kochanski snottily spitting out lyrics one moment to demonically growling the next as Goldstein's drum kit aggressively rattles. The song has a touch of Primus-like oddness but EIEIEIO take it much further, reaching into noise and experimental territory. The latter tackles masculine entitlement over blipping samples and electronics as each member takes turn wryly observing problematic behavior amidst fits of laughter. "Mower" is EIEIEIO's unique take on psych-prog as vocals waft around wobbling jazzy guitar, drum fills slip around rolling bass, effectively creating a fuzzy quiet and a cloudy soundscape.
The trio continue to gel and deliver little tastes of their world in an appealing and progressively intriguing manner throughout "Gentlemen Stop!", continuing to push themselves into all sorts of new musical environs. EIEIEIO manage to move around each other musically in a way that maintains coherence throughout the noise, shifting approaches while still keeping themselves grounded. No matter what road the band choose to travel, their audience knows that whatever they put forth will be challenging in a number of different ways, but never less than engrossing. This EP gives them a chance to unleash their fury while keeping the listener guessing as to what may lie around the next corner. The musical flexibility and songwriting wit never wilt from one moment to the next.