Nothing Hurts

About

Riding the wave of current noise-pop bands who arm themselves with layers of distortion and eke out shy, buried melodies, British trio Male Bonding mix it up with a varied palette: brightly colored stomp-fests (“Weird Feelings”), moody, love-struck swooners (“Franklin,” “Nothing Remains”), muscular, prog-nodding guitar attacks (“T.U.F.F.”) and airy acoustic numbers (“Worse to Come,” with the Vivian Girls on board) bring this debut to some rather lofty heights. These guys know their indie rock, and there are hints of everything from Pavement to Hüsker Dü to the Wedding Present here, with a refreshing insistence on defining their guitar sound with sharp hooks, clear melodies and an exuberant, punk-rooted energy. There is not a wasted track on <i>Nothing Hurts</i>, and we venture to say that “All Things This Way” “Paradise Vendors” and “Nothing Used to Hurt” are mind-bendingly perfect slices of modern, post-punk perfection, and place Male Bonding in a class of their own.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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