In another beautiful and hilarious example of controlled chaos, Rhode Island’s Purple Toothpaste releases We Bury Our Faces in Gravel and Schmonkityweedityweedityschmonk. This bass-lead punk album is equally as silly as it is aggressive, creating the ideal energy for your perfect Providence power-violence show.

The production quality is perfect for this release: disastrous. The few instruments that make up these songs can all be heard, but a crunchy, distorted scream or a blown out bass riff unexpectedly takes lead as whatever microphone that was used to record it starts to give up. As in control as the duo seems of their instruments, they seem even more in control of their studio, cruelly pushing past its limits when necessary.

With two vocalists that simultaneously sound as much like show toons as they do hardcore performers, you can only laugh along while the two chant into separate headphones. The intense vocal panning is enjoyable and creates the space for the listener to hear the deadened drums and to fully appreciate the leading distorted bass.

As shows begin to become a thing again, I can only imagine this band live. My personal favorite is the song “Spring Loaded Spring Ball Springing to You This Spring,” which perfectly captures the bands energy. Voices and instruments all moving quickly and talking over each other, however the sound and message wouldn’t be there without this experimental chaos.

Short bursts of energy, sick basslines and vocals sometimes so distorted they sound like instruments. This very short release is worth the listen. If you are like me and need to put in the effort to sit down and listen to full album. this is a godsend that you’ll end up replaying again and again. It should be noted how many different sounds and riffs there are to appreciate as you re-listen to find all the little gems.