IceageFrom the opening notes of brutal and ironically named Ecstasy, it's clear that there's no messing around with Iceage. Chaotic, even by their standards, it shuffles between almost slacker influenced noisy post-punk and scream driven punk rock. These Danish wild boys haven't lost it.
Iceage's first record, 2011's New Brigade, hit at a brilliant time. It made few ripples in the wider musical landscape, but was powerful and unrelenting. Some two years later we're given You're Nothing, and how much can we have wanted to change? Certainly, the group's ever-present post-punk (namely Joy Division) influence has been brought closer to the fore with looping bass rhythms, almost catchy were they not buried behind brutal noise, now everywhere. The band's sharp, jagged guitar and menacing percussion is still as powerful as ever and this is shown off no better than on album highlight Burning Hand. Perhaps the most confrontational song they've recorded, everything is turned into the red with white noise guitar riffs clashing with one another in front of note-perfect loose-but-tight vocals and rhythms. The song is a work of violent art and will surely become a live staple.
Overall, this is a more sonically challenging, slightly polished and arguably more dangerous record than its precursor. In that way, it does everything a sophomore record should do; push established sounds and boundaries further than before. Simply an occupational hazard of the genre, You're Nothing will never ever be as immediate and surprising as that first spin through of New Brigade. The record does everything right, doesn't outstay its welcome and confronts the listener; there's little chance fans won't adore this punk, guttural torrent of noise.
