This album starts off with “Magic is Easy”, and the band certainly seem to be determined and focused, and playing with some more immaculate production than ever. It’s wonky and dense, but it’s also incredibly fun. Like, in a weird way I feel like these guys have the same sort of “Merry Prankster” vibe that Animal Collective had back in the day. It’s cosmic, outrageous, and constantly evolving just like Guerrilla Toss. They’ve come so far from the days of their noisy and abrasive studio trickery. This is just a cool, Spacey Electro-Funk tune. On the contrary “Jesus Rabbit” is a little more straightforward, and I have mixed feelings about it honestly. Instrumentally, by Guerrilla Toss standards this is just so tame. But Kassie Carlson’s performance is one of my favorite of the bunch. It’s just so manic and freaky and weird, I just really wish this track’s instrumental really fit the bizarre nature of these lyrics. However, it’s encouraging to see that Guerrilla Toss is still pushing forward in a Pop direction. Then we have “Meteorological” which doesn’t waste any time. This has an upbeat, funky groove and a wildly artsy flair. Kassie’s performance here isn’t as strange, but it’s wildly fun and energetic. It’s moments like this where Guerrilla Toss come off like the freakish Pop and Electronic hybrid we need right now. And the production here is just so lush like there are some incredibly beautiful and wildly colorful instrumentals here. And hell, I’m almost getting a weird Die Antwoord vibe to this, but in like the best way possible. Hell, give me more of this.
Now, you never really know what you’re going to get with Guerrilla Toss. Like here, they come off so stiff, almost in a Post Punk way. And that goes, especially for the vocals. But I don’t know the stiffness of this one is just a turn off to me. Guerrilla Toss often comes off so carefree and fun, but this one is just a little too much. The instrumental is wild and noisy, and the production is one of the more abrasive of the bunch. It’s all over the place. Like, take “Retreat” for example. Deep down, there are certainly some Post-Punk vibes believe it or not, especially with just how hectic and tense this one comes off. But this is just so much more wild and loose. It’s easily the darkest track here, and I haven’t heard the band go for something this angry in ages. But man it ends up working really nicely. It ends up being fun and colorful alongside those things. Not to mention, this is a serious pumping iron jam, I love how gruff this is. Gimme some more of this! Then we have “Come Up With Me”, which is this weird throwback track with tons of 80’s synths that come off so brilliantly. And over that, we get this legitimate Punk tune. Like, this is easily the wildest and most off-the-rails tune of the bunch. And if I had to pick a single sound that I feel like they should really go further with, it’s this one. It has a sense of innocence to it deep down that I just can’t get enough of, and it comes out wonderfully during the chorus. It’s just so sweet and likable while remaining spunky and filled with attitude.
With “Walls of the Universe”, Guerrilla Toss really seem like they’re on a roll. This one is a sort of throwback Synth-Pop track that has a very 80’s feel to it. It’s cold and unforgiving, but it’s also wonderfully produced and has tons of glorious little details. I have to give it to Kassie because she really is branching out and doing a lot of different stuff vocally, and has a ton of different styles she’s going for. Here, we once again see that Kassie is going for a manic, tense performance. But with the already cold nature of this track, it’s all gravy. On the other hand, “Jackie’s Daughter” brings back the sort of Cosmic Dance Punk we heard on the last Guerrilla Toss album. It’s a very groovy, tight jam. But it’s once again a little too tight for me. THere’s so much to like here, from the production to the very catchy vocals which may be some of Kassie’s best here. But instrumentally, this track is just a little safe for my liking. Guerrilla Toss has such a great sound, but they need to narrow it down just a little. But “Green Apple” as a finale is the wild, carefree and mind-bending piece of Psych Pop that I needed to hear. Here, for a few short minutes, Guerrilla Toss have transported me completely to one of the druggiest, most disgusting, drug-fueled parties in the area and it is GREAT. It’s catchy and fun, but also wonderfully produced and produced well. It’s catchy and fun, but it’s also wonderfully produced and performed well. It’s absolutely hard to keep track of, and you may need to take this one step at a time. But the band sounds fantastic, I just need a longer album and maybe a little more of a cohesive sound.
Rating: 7.6/10
Give A Listen To: “Magic Is Easy”, “Meteorological”, “Green Apple”, “Come Up With Me”
Least Favorite Track: “Walls of the Universe”
Genre: Dance Punk / Art Rock / Experimental Pop
Overall Thoughts: This album picks up where “GT Ultra” left off, with Guerrilla Toss constantly pushing their sound further with cosmic rhythms and deep experiments into Pop’s darkest crevices. It’s got wild grooves, singalong choruses and some of Guerrilla Toss’s most colorful palettes yet. And hell yea, it’s exciting, most of Pop’s biggest acts right now, even in the weird areas, are just not this daring. This album is still far from perfect, and I still think Guerrilla Toss down the line is going to write something much more cohesive and wild. But for now, I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the more colorful Experimental Pop album’s you’ll hear this year.
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