This is a TGEFM reader-submitted review. It may have been edited for content, spelling, or grammar but otherwise reflects the thoughts and opinions of the submitter.
Review by financial_powerbomb
Don Giovanni Records – 25 Mar 2022
The debut LP that should be on your radar
Spring 2022 has been delightful for me because, you know, it’s been filled up with so much good stuff being released. One of them is Ex-Void‘s newest LP Bigger Than Before. It was such an unexpected thing to me because I try, as much as I can, to avoid singles and pre-release tracks. In this case, I was surprised to know that this band suddenly put out a new LP on Don Giovanni Records. So I would to put out a thank you note to my Spotify notification reminder, haha.
Ex-Void is recognizable you’re into an UK indie-punk scene. The band rose from the ashes of Joanna Gruesome, featuring former members Owen Williams and Lan McArdle. It does bring a sense of quality, and I’m sure that the style that Ex-Void represents is delightful to me and, probably, for most fans of Joanna Gruesome as well.
Ex-Void continues the good work of Joanna Gruesome, polished and crafted with love, and Bigger Than Before is a labor of love which should be tried out by everyone this year. I would like to be honest, though: Joanna Gruesome’s Weird Sister is genius record. It is an album that is too punk to be “indie-rock”, but also too indie to be “punk” rock standard. But it seems that Williams and McArdle don’t worry about people’s expectations because “Bigger Than Before” is good record. Ex-Void portrays what’s good from the 90’s sound (the band specifically cites Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, and more in their bio).
The songwriting formula of Bigger Than Before can be a joyful indie rock listening session. The twangy guitar performance is an exotic point for this record. And don`t forget about the harmonization of between Williams and Ardle’s vocals which the fans will be excited for. I wouldn’t expect so much about how further Ex-Void would explore their musicality, but the energy and songwriting intensity that they offer is the thing that I would like to expect for the next two or three albums (if they’re cool with that).
Despite the good songs, I don’t take the last track “My Only One” as a serious one. It’s pretty odd to hear Ardle’s voice going on a simple acoustic set or probably it’s just me who needs some “adjustment” to it. Time will tell then. But one song against nine favorite tunes has given me an insight that this album is an indie-rock banger that you could easily play on repeat two or three times a day. Well, at least that’s my parameter of how good an album would last on my list.
financial_powerbomb is a part-time punk, owner of Rizkan Records, and prolific music blogger in Indonesia. As an ESL writer, he’s looking to expand his footprint with more reviews in the English language, and TGEFM is more than happy to help out.
