ĠENN – Liminal / EP Review
ĠENN return with their new EP Liminal. Having been introduced to their off-kilter sound via the wonderment of fish-travel on ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’ not too long ago, I’ve been hooked (pun) on the Brighton act ever since. Now with five more songs’ worth of strange to experience, I can happily say I’ve reached a new level of obsessed.
As mentioned in its own review, the strutting ways and utter nonsense of ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’ is what intrigued me first. With its rolling percussion and danceable basslines, there was a confidence to it that made you wish to follow. It knows how cool it sounds, and fortunately the rest of the songs on Liminal do too.
‘Feel’ opens the record with a flurry of drums that rushes blood to the ears. Heightening anticipation that eases into another solid instrumental that settles the tension and returns the cool vibe back into the room. There’s an old school element inside, with Hendrix guitars and Cream-esque psychedelics added to the party. It’s the perfect way to kick things off.
Volatile guitars and passionate vocal delivery match the political landscape of 2020 on ‘23rd March’. As much as the guitars barge their way to the front with their range of noodling riffs and straight up power chords, it’s the drums that really put in the work. Tumbling their way through the verses to bring this really left-field, scattered beat to the mix. It sounds great and leads into the more direct ‘Catalyst’ that calls for revolution and throws all of itself right into your face. Seriously, it will batter you.
Liminal is a fantastic EP from ĠENN. It offers a refreshing sound in the Punk scene. Bringing multiple genres together and delivering them at a traditionally Punk pace. While the aforementioned tracks give a lot away, there are also a few surprises left in the remaining songs. ‘Just Another Sad Song’ lowers the pace ever so slightly to highlight the Brighton act’s knack for creating a killer instrumental, and ‘Falling Out’ closes proceedings with an unruly yet disco-flared performance that is hard to ignore. I cannot get enough of this.
Photo-credit: Holly Whitaker
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