If, like me, you rarely read long reviews and instead read the first paragraph, glance at the score, and then stop reading, well all you need to know is that this album WILL be in top 10 ‘record of the year’ lists. It’s sensational.
For those who like to read longer reviews, all you need to know is that ‘New Junk Aesthetic’ is ETID at their best. The riffs are fucking massive, Keith Buckley sounds his pissed off best and the songs themselves are among the best the band have written. Those who disliked the southern rock direction the band had previously taken will be relieved that ‘New Junk Aesthetic’ goes back to basics. I actually think ‘New Junk Aesthetic’ gets off to a slow start. I’m not convinced by the trudging ‘Roman Holiday’ as an opener and feel the shorter, sharper ‘The Marvelous Slut’ gets the party started. And by the time Keith spits his way through ‘Who Invited The Russian Soldier’ the album never looks back.
What I like about this record is that it is utterly relentless. It just pummels you into submission; the riffs just never let up. Most will have heard ‘Wunderlust’ by now but I don’t think that song is anywhere near the best here. ‘For The Record’ is an absolute beast – the vocals are just so impassioned and angry that you cannot fail to be impressed as Keith belts out ‘Lord have mercy on my soul’. ‘Host Disorder’ also has such a high energy to it, even when Keith ‘sings’ rather than screams it just works so well. I can’t claim to be an ETID super-fan, but this record works from the second song to the very end. It has everything you want in an album of this type – and it shows the younger pups how it’s done. Superb.