In almost fifteen decades of activity, those from Detroit have redefined and made their own the limits of post-punk in their tireless exploration of the contradictions of the system and its miseries. And it must be a little frustrating to see that, despite the rise in recent years of everything related to the genre in all its breadth, their effort has not translated into a popularity that allows them to climb one or two steps. Perhaps this had a lot to do with the existential crisis they experienced in times of the pandemic, when they reconsidered everything.
In reality, for a group of their level of honesty stripped of their glamorous image and nonsense, reaching the masses is not easy, despite the support of a label like Domino and the impeccable live performance they play. On this new album, the sixth, the visceral vocalist and outstanding lyricist Joe Casey and company search for a few cracks of light in the post-pandemic darkness, from the same title. But although the sound is somewhat less dense -the recording in Sonic Ranch, Texas, may have something to do-, Protomartyr they remain absolutely recognizable.
In the absence of surprises, everything depends, then, on the inspiration of the songs. And the truth is that after a first side in which hits follow one another with some of the most inspired cuts from his already vast collection -the angry urgency of “For Tomorrow”the sick rhythm with electric fog of “Elimination Dances”the naked brutality of “Fun In Hi Skool”-, the band leaves a certain impression of déjà vu in a second part in which they sound too familiar, althoughe “3800 Tigers” shows them more playful than ever, in “We Know The Rats” combine melody and acidity with success, and in “Rain Garden”, epic and romanticism
For a band that was about to throw in the towel, it’s not a bad starting point. If we give it to others, Protomartyr They deserve all the credit in the world.
Formal Growth In The Desert de Protomartyr