I don’t mean to rant against pop punk. But let me rant for just one second about pop punk. Pop is mainstream. Punk is anti-establishment and countercultural. Pop punk is pop with a little more angst for teenagers who want to rebel in a nonscary way. So hooray for GG King, who serves up undiluted, angry punk, the way his ’80s forebears did it. His new album, Unending Darkness, has enough three-minute gems of disordered drumming and whiny yelling to make any Sex Pistols fanboi rejoice.
GG King is the Atlanta-based recording project of guitarist and frontman Greg King. The band’s first release, Esoteric Love, was a rambling, lo-fi homage to messy, classic punk. In that album, constantly crashing cymbals and quick, confused vocals infused ’70s Buzzcocks-style Britpunk with Bauhaus-esque goth rock. Unending Darkness, released three years and numerous personnel changes later, is more of the same. Unending Darkness is loud, obviously. Songs like “Vacuum Cleaner” and “Picnic Destinations for Unimaginative People” are almost overwhelmed by turbulent drumming, disjointed guitar solos, and skillfully unskilled instrumentals. But, like great classic punk, this music is not complex or layered. There’s not a bunch of low end added to make it sound full-bodied. It’s stark, like you’re hearing it live and anything could happen. In this overproduced age, that’s a nice change.
King’s fast, crude vocals are almost inaudible. I’d love to quote a lyric, but even with my ear pressed up against my speakers I can’t tell if he’s saying “the house is all around us” or “there’s a mouse on my tour bus.” When King’s voice gets tinny it fits well in the mess of noise, but his throaty growls feel overworked and uninteresting.
Occasionally, King ventures outside the punk genre. The progressive, high-pitched, warbling scales on “Standing in the Light” recall the unrelenting noise of ’80s hardcore. On “Satan’s Puppet,” King mumbles inaudibly in a demonic tone, underscored by a thumping bass drum. The psychedelic synths on “Another Dimension” remind me of Tame Impala. Not bad. These songs feel contrived in the midst of Unending Darkness’ impassioned, genuine discord.
Surprisingly, my favorite track is not punk. “Leigh,” a scale-driven surf rock tune, reminds me of “Flipside” on the Breeders’ Last Splash. Others might not agree that this is the album’s high point. But I really like surf rock. If more people could play it, I’d probably just listen to that.
It’s too bad King muddies things by trying to advance the conversation. Strip Unending Darkness of death metal and psychedelia, and you’ve got an album of quick, angry, energetic punk, the kind that largely died out in the ’80s. GG King knows how to do it right—kicking your ass in four minutes or less.
