New appointment at punk party organized by Amyl And The Sniffers. But with a few moments of pause, of reflection. Glimpses which in the economy of the disc are the most interesting passages. The Australians returned three years after “Comfort To Me” full of energy as never before in their third album “Cartoon Darkness”. It didn't take long to figure it out, thanks to the first singles released. Typical scenario for those who know the wild group out of time and fashion, led by the blonde frontmanalways with wide eyes.
The rest of the band keeps up with them in the anticipatory songs “U Should Not Be Doing That” and “Chewing Gum”, the latter with its jumping bass and light-hearted soul, fresh and enthralling without lightening the weight of the instruments. The work produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, IDLES) begins brash and vulgar, as the four like it, with that heavy and repetitive guitar in “Jerkin'”. But there's more. The album title is indicative. Two opposites, where the first aspect dominates, but a little darkness we find it in some of the topics covered (big techclimate crisis, war, to quote ideas brought up by the band itself). And above all in the melancholic, broken-dream mood of the proto-ballad “Big Dreams”. It's a pleasant surprise then to hear “Bailing on Me”, more melodic and soft, complete with whistling. In “Tiny Bikini” Amyl sings in a caricatured, cartoon-like manner, yet the song has a more complex theme than it seems.
They are the successful half-hour deviations from the path that will still make the most seasoned listeners happy. Feel the hardcore fury of “It's Mine”, “Motorbike Song” or the rattling solos of “Pigs”.
30/10/2024
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM