Mom's Basement Records – 18 Feb 2022
School Damage's rapid fire collection of angry tracks mostly hits mark
Critical Excess is the third full length release from Toronto-based School Damage. As a band they've been going for a while and have honed their particular brand of punk into a tight yet simple formula. The approach blends snotty pop-punk vocals with a melodic punk sensibility and the heavier influences of hardcore. In this spirit Critical Excess is an album consisting of songs that are probably best described as a collection of a short, sharp shocks. The whole thirteen tracks clocks in at just over twenty minutes. From the first bars of “Debt Bed” and it's opening drum fill the pace never really relents.
Thematically the songs draw on dissatisfaction and a general state of rage tempered with black humour. Rapid missives about depression, dead end jobs, and rock and roll excess with titles such “If you lived in hell you'd be home by now” and “Serotonin Party Massacre” give a flavour of the band's approach. There is a nihilistic streak to their outlook as evidenced on the track “Complacency”; “don't worry about the world, when nothing ever changes.” Musically this track has vocals delivered in a suitably atonal and apathetic manner, whilst retaining a tight syncopation. It also offers a bit of variation in the form of a breakdown that allows the bass to take centre stage.
Where School Damage excel is in the tightly wrought immediacy of their instrumentation. In the better moments of this album the searing intensity of Hardcore comes to the fore. The simply articulated refrain of “Everything I do I do For you” is a good example of this. At under a minute, the song is a full on attack of thrashing drums and vitriolic snarl. Closing track “Sweet Grief” has a bluntly melodic, ascending guitar line that is repeated almost to the point of absurdity. It brings things to a close with a breakdown of increasing distortion as the vocals become increasingly distant sounding.
Critical Excess isn't particularly breaking new ground but it is an example of how a simple stylistic register executed well can be sufficient to largely maintain interest. There is also no questioning the fact that this is a record with a high energy output. However, what would doubtless make for a captivating live explosion doesn't necessarily translate entirely satisfactorily to record. At times the different songs have a very similar vocal register that make the tracks feel a little too interchangeable. In fairness that isn't always important. Sometimes all you need is a straightforward articulation of a bad day or a feeling of impotent rage, played at breakneck speed. These songs can certainly tick that box.