Snor, Scandinavian heartbreaker – EP 7″

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #421, June 2018

Reverb-heavy hardcore with D-beat tendencies (think DESTINO FINAL) that is absolutely elevated by the playful, high-pitched vocals. The interplay between the vocalist, who sounds like the singer for a lost early ’80s Spanish punk band, and the band itself, who are dishing out completely straightforward grim-sounding hardcore, it’s just fantastic! Given the wordplay in the record title, it’s clear that the band has a sense of humor, but rather than giving in to the joke, the record is played completely straight, which makes it a very compelling listen. The last track (“Mro Zna Noc”) is probably the best, a nasty mid-tempo snarl of a song like IGGY POP meets LEBENDEN TOTEN with the singer going completely nuts over the top, wailing and shrieking. Somehow her completely disarming vocals take on an unexpected and wholly welcome edge of menace, like she’d been playing at crazy all this time but holy shit, she might actually be dangerous. Great EP! (AU)