Everything about A Mess’s new EP,’ NO MAN,’ speaks to me. From the album artwork that depicts a woman who, from my interpretation, doesn’t care about anything and is powerfully true to herself to the album title (I mean, that doesn’t need an explanation, does it?) to even the name of the project – A Mess. I was drawn to this four-song EP for many reasons. I know it’s not right to judge something by it’s cover but the cover of ‘NO MAN’ drew me in and I can’t wait any longer to check out this EP.
The first track on this EP is “Gender Traitor,” and the garage-pop-styled Riot Grrrl energy that took over my house the second I pushed play on this song hit just the right spot. This song is raw and punk-fueled while coming off as a bit of a pop bop. It’s not quite punk or pop but it’s situated somewhere in the middle with the perfect amount of garage fuzz to top it all off. Even though I don’t know where to place this track on the genre-spectrum accurately, I know that I love this, and by the end of this three and a half minute opening track, I had given up just sitting at my desk for this playthrough and had already resorted to dancing around my dining room as A Mess filled my rather messy house.
“We Gonna Fight” is the second song on this album, and although I know I’m only on the second track here, it was an instant favorite of mine. This song is powerful and anthemic with a vibe that will make you raise your first in the air while proclaiming that you are proud to be whoever you are. It’s a resilient track that fills you with equal parts rage and pride while making you feel something deep and dark in your soul. Again, A Mess’ vocals seem to dabble this line between pop and Riot Grrrl in a genuinely intriguing and original way. The dynamics in this song are just the cherry on top. I love how the vocals seem to go from something almost shy and broken to powerful and dominant. Although an obvious fight song for women everywhere (just listen to the lyrics), I feel like this song is applicable in many different scenarios which takes the perfection of the song to a whole new level.
The shortest track on ‘NO MAN’ is “Happy” but don’t let the time stamp fool you, this song still packs a punch of energy and attitude. The beginning of this song highlights A Mess’ vocals before the larger-than-life sound of the band wraps around the vocals and catapults this track back into the anthemic world that A Mess does so well. Although I loved the instrumentation throughout this track, I was, again, completely enamored by the vocals. It’s both what they’re saying and the way they are delivered. There’s just something so quirky about the tones and lines of notes they follow. It’s intriguing and exciting because, as mentioned, I haven’t heard anything like this before.
Sadly, this EP is short and only twelve and a half minutes (which means you have no excuse not to check it out) but it closes out with a bang, which is “Ghost Hands”. As the song title may elude, there’s something almost eerie about this song, which I love. The vocals are still powerful but come with more of a whispered tone in this song, which helps convey the story perfectly. I was expecting this EP to end with a super powerful and anthemic track full of rage but “Ghost Hands” seems to focus a bit more on A Mess’ sensitive side. It’s gorgeous and, when paired with the epic build-up that happens towards the end, makes for a perfect ending to a perfect EP.
‘NO MAN’ from A Mess is a truly brilliant listen. From being unable to figure out who to compare this sound to or even give you a firm genre, it kept me guessing throughout all four songs in a perfect way. Music should be exciting, and I was excited the entire time I was lost in A Mess’ world. It’s been a hot minute since that has happened and I can not thank A Mess enough for this moment.
My Favorite Track: “We Gonna Fight”
What My Cats Did While I Listened To This: Artie screamed for dinner; Alfie tried to attack my fingers while I typed; Autumn slept upstairs in her kingdom; Cat slept on the couch next to me (that’s right– four cats now people– life is weird)
Best Suited For Listening To While: Destroying the patriarchy
Closest Comparisons I Can Think Of: Wet Leg (the pop side of A Mess); The Breeders; Sonic Youth (Maybe?)
Overall Score: 8.2 out of 10
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