Gnarwolves – ‘Gnarwolves’

It may seem too early to call it, but ‘Gnarwolves’ is the front-runner for album of the year. In a year that produced new Menzingers and Against Me! albums, plus the first Lawrence Arms record in seven years, the three-piece punk band from Brighton has stolen the show with their debut album.

Unless you’re completely immune to the hype machine, you’ll probably be well aware of Gnarwolves by now. They’ve played every major festival over the past two years, released three EPs and toured constantly – it’s safe to say their debut album was well overdue. Thankfully the wait was worthwhile as Gnarwolves have built on their strengths to produce a pitch perfect album. Gnarwolves’ song-writing is tighter, the lyrical themes are cohesive, the instrumentation is slicker and it’s catchy as fuck, yet the album swerves the pitfall of over-production – it’s as raw and chaotic as any of their previous EPs. Most importantly, it’s a lot of fun to listen to.

Despite an overarching theme of depression and introspection, ‘Gnarwolves’ isn’t about wallowing in misery; it’s about dealing with your negatives, expressing them and purging them. Opener ‘Prove It’ sums it up with the lines, “all I need is all I have here” and “life goes on regardless of never testing that it does”, and ‘Smoking Kills’ is as much about accepting burdens as it is about feeling overwhelmed.

In terms of lyrics ‘Gnarwolves’ is full of great turns of phrase, such as “we make a toast to being lonely because it’s better than drinking alone” from ‘Boneyard’ and “roach up your ticket, I know we won’t go” in ‘Bottle to Bottle’. While this album may not feature a ‘Party Jam’ or ‘A Gram is Better Than a Damn’, getting wasted still takes centre stage in their lyrics – this time as an emotional crutch, a means of getting by. It’s a relatable subject matter, and throughout the album the introspection displayed in EP highlight ‘Limerance’ takes centre stage.

While this sounds depressing, it’s the music that makes ‘Gnarwolves’ seem cathartic. With the lyrics competing for attention from frantic, fast-paced guitars and drumming, it’s tough to find a moment to reflect on the first few listens. It’s not all riffs and drums however, the transition between tracks ‘Ebb’ and ‘Flow,’ the slowed down section in ‘Hate Me’ and the straight-up skate punk of ‘Eat Dynamite Kid’ give ‘Gnarwolves’ something different from your average punk album, it’s varied enough that its half-hour span blasts by.

There’s nothing to dislike about ‘Gnarwolves’ – it’s a well-written, rounded album which builds upon past releases without playing it safe. Without a doubt the best punk album released this year, fully justifying the hype surrounding the band.

JAY SULLIVAN