Es - Less of Everything (Review)

Chugging guitars and retro-cosmic synths characterise post-punk newcomers...

The debut album from this London based synthpunk band is an enraged helping of juicy grooves, bustling melodies and simple rhythms that land somewhere between the feminist fury of Screaming Females or Drahla (another obscure London post-punk group I championed throughout last year), and the often synth inclined indie of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Metric. Operating under the guise of post punk they're not confined to the instrumentation typical of bands operating under the classic stylings of that genre, differing then from the frustratingly unvaried approach of Fontaines D.C. whilst also residing several leagues outside of the usual synthier direction set by the likes of New Order or Talking Heads. I suppose what I'm getting at is that Es have achieved a somewhat unique sound landing within the venn diagram of countless similar acts that each have enough distance for Es to be intriguing and not derivative.

If my futile attempt at labelling this band was any indication that this is a band with a multitude of influences then you've got the right idea, but what's more impressive is the way the band are more than capable of kicking up a storm one track after another. The chugging guitars and cold, retro-cosmic synths give this album an intriguingly spacey quality that you hardly ever find in post-punk due to the typically grounded delivery of the themes. I will say, as much as the peculiarity of the sound choice makes for an interesting listen it does consequently lack in terms of the grounded lyric and instrumental tone. However, what this choice does do is provide a newfound distance I've only heard from the new wave and synthpop side of post-punk, and in this way the parallels between New Order grow much stronger even with the difference in much of the approach. I can't decide if this distance helps to illustrate the frustration and anger that the lyricist brings or if it creates a chasm between those lyrical themes with the instrumentation, but what I will say is that the integration as opposed to substitution of synthesisers into the guitar-driven punk sound is done inconsistently, with some songs working a whole lot more cohesively than others.

6.5/10

Best Tracks: Chemical; Off The Rails; Severed; Hidden Track

Worst Tracks: Mystery; Unsavoury Union

Watch the video for "Chemical"

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"Less Of Everything"
Es

3rd April 2020

Upset The Rhythm

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