Self-released, May 29, 2020
Liquids reminds us what desperate and scary punk rock can be like.
Liquids is an obnoxious and sneering punk rock band out of Indiana. Over the course of lots of releases dating back to 2017, Liquids have raised the ghosts of punks past while bringing a real feeling of chaos and danger to their music, something that I’ve only really heard in a small number of current bands.
On Happy Birthday Ben, Liquids blow out (and I mean that phrase literally) four ravaging songs that’ll end up leaving you disoriented by the time the seven minutes finish. “11 AM” comes out with mad hyperkinetic energy, giving itself over to destroyed guitar fuzz that carry the hooks that’ll get you playing it again and again. Then, “Sun & Moon” does it again, with more bonkers energy. Both the blown-out guitar rhythms and the snotty vocals bring the hooks this time. The third song, “Fire”, comes at us with some super fast stop and go guitar rhythms that keep driving the song forward in hesitated bursts. And then they close things out with “Friends”, a number that slows things down to a ragged and depraved stomp for the opening minute or so, reminding me of some stuff from Raspberry Bulbs along the way. Of course, they then move to an anarchic end, turning out a fast and lawless close to the record. Really, could it end any other way? Probably not.
Liquids kind of scares me. The music is intense and teeters on the edge of falling apart over and over. The recording quality is raw and perfect for the music. And really, I keep coming back to Germs as a kindred spirit. Not sure if that’s right, if that’s what they’re going for. But I feel that kind of spirit in them, and I like it.
You might like this if:
- You like your punk rock raw and chaotic and dangerous
- You are ok with lofi sort of production
You might not if:
- You want your punk music to be more pop and catchy hooks
- You don’t like unclean, raw production
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
