Male Bonding
Nothing Hurts
Two years. 730 days. Roughly the timescale it took for me to first grow a beard of any real distinction. For Male Bonding; three men hailing from Dalston, however, that is approximately the length of time it takes to play your first show, release a slew of splits, get signed to one of the most reputable Indie labels this side of the Nile and release a full length debut. The hair follicles in my face have a lot to answer for.
Having released a plethora of cassette, 7” and 12” splits with the likes of Pens, Graffiti Island, Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls and Cold Puma on their own Paradise Vendors label, debut album Nothing Hurts signals the ascent into new annals of productivity – innumerable rungs up from the DIY basement operation of previous as Sub Pop take the reigns of this unrepentantly vociferous beast of a trio. And what, pray tell, have they bestowed upon us for a first offering? Why, thirty minutes of nihilistic noise pop both fast and loud enough to make your brain spit, of course.
Replete with enough hooks to suspend Jo Brand, Nothing Hurts hurtles along upon a current bubbling and foaming with an exuberant, overpowering zest. Much akin to peers such as Waaves and Abe Vigoda, the band blends a lo-fi punk aesthetic with at times exotic, tropical/surf influences to achieve a sound brimming with both aggression and zeal; power and imagination. With the majority of songs clocking in at under two minutes, what we are greeted with is a succession of little bubbles of energy – ready to burst at any given moment as the distorted, fuzzy riffs battle with bouncing bass lines and robust drum beats to maintain a semblance of order amidst the aural chaos. There just isn’t any time to become bored as song after song deals a heavy, snarling slap to the cheeks.
This isn’t to say Male Bonding are a one trick pony. Hazy, ambling odes to Shoegaze luminaries such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride effectively punctuate the ferocity of the album, as is evident with tracks such as “Franklin” and “Worse to come” – providing the listener with a respite from the relentless barrage of choppy, ebullient licks the rest of the album has to offer. There is something of a slapdash, cut-and-paste element to the way it is all put together. Yet, interestingly this only emphasizes the urgency the band is evidently striving for – like a canvas ripped to shreds and crudely pieced back together it nonetheless carries the artistic message.
Nothing Hurts certainly isn’t groundbreaking. The recent rise of ‘****gaze’ (who freaking coins these terms, seriously?) gives credence to that, whilst bands like Wire and The Buzz****s have been churning out similar, scuzzy pop snippets for years. Yet what it is in essence is a fun, adrenaline fuelled half an hour that is sure to maintain the momentum Male Bonding have been gathering over the last couple of years. Having supported the likes of Metronomy, ****ed Up, Health, No Age and Crystal Castles in recent past, now may be the time for Male Bonding to inhabit a stage all of their own. In an age bereft of the rush music once threw at us, this is an album that will give your day the kick up the arse it’s crying out for.