Album Review: Retox - 'YPLL'

'YPLL', the second full length album from Retox clocks in at around 20 minutes long, features Justin Pearson – former frontman of grindcore outfit The Locust, and, put simply, doesn't have the time nor inclination to really fuck around. Dissonant and chaotic, it's a fantastically frantic, savage affair that doesn't slow down for a moment.

It's difficult to put a definite label on the exact sound on 'YPLL'. A veritable melting pot of punk, hardcore, grindcore, powerviolence and noise rock, Retox blur the lines on this release to craft something that at its core is confrontational, direct, and raw. Opener 'Modern Balls' introduces us to the frenzied, intense assault of 'YPLL' setting the tone for an album that is packed to the brim with jagged, erratic guitar lines, an unbelievably tight, resilient rhythm section and, naturally, Pearson's acid-tongued, misanthropic scream.

What becomes acutely apparent pretty early on in 'YPLL' is how simply good at playing their instruments Retox are. While a lot of bands attempt the blunt sonic trauma of 'YPLL' but fail, it feels like the sheer technical ability of the band's members demonstrated on tracks like 'Soviet Reunion', 'Greasy Psalms' and angular, mathcore-inspired closer 'Consider the Scab Already Picked' assure a record that sounds professional and razor sharp rather than simply a disorganised mess. That said, it doesn't feel terribly calculated or anything – some of the most truly visceral, ferocious moments on 'YPLL' are courtesy of the simplistic, barebones aggression felt on the more straightforward

Thematically, the album features the sort of elements in its writing that you'd expect from music as off-kilter and brash as Retox. There's an acerbic, bitter kind of humour present in the lyrics and song titles and an overall tone of venomous cynicism. As for how the record actually sounds, the album is spot-on aesthetically. Produced by Chris Rakestraw (Red Fang, Skeletonwitch, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), it manages to strike a pretty solid balance between slick, smooth clarity and relentless violence.

Caustic and vicious, 'YPLL' picks up where the band's debut album 'Ugly Animals' left off, tightening up and becoming even more aggressive in the process. For those experiencing Retox for the first time with 'YPLL', it serves as a harsh, predatory introduction to the band. Either way, it's a brilliant, extremely unique record that demands your attention.

1. Modern Balls

2. Mature Science

3. Don't Fall In Love With Yourself

4. You Lost Me At "It Wasn't My Fault"

5. Congratulations, You Are Good Enough

6. Soviet Reunion

7. Greasy Psalsms

8. I've Had It Up To Here I'm Going To Prison

9. The Art Of Really Really Sucking

10. Biological Process Of Politics

11. Nose To Tail

12. Consider The Scab Already Picked