Freak on Ica
The first full-length major-label effort from Girls Against Boys finds their sound largely intact, with a brutally narrow tonal range and intriguingly arranged song structures at the forefront of their sonic assault. The production is jarring at first, and the sudden clarity and separation between instruments takes some getting used to after brilliant but relatively muddy indie-label efforts likeHouse of GVSB. The band end up using the newfound space to their advantage, compiling a litany of abrasive yet distinctly melodic noises to fill out their ferocious approach. The concept works especially well on songs like "Exorcisto," which incorporates a cracking snare sound and background industrial noise into an unpredictable compositional style and off-speed rhythmic elements. Girls Against Boys have gotten a lot of mileage out of their spare, loud sound, but they up the ante onFreak*on*icato the point where they've actually made a headphone album. Crank it up or don't--you'll get lost in it either way.--Matthew Cooke