EP REVIEW: Popstar – OBSCENE

’…an impressive case of raising a middle finger to genre conventions…’

Picture this: you have just woken up on a southern California sidewalk at 2pm. It is a scorching 35 degrees (I refuse to provide Fahrenheit), and you are three days deep into the most wild party bender that you have ever been on.

That is what ‘OBSCENE’ sounds like, in the best way possible.

The debut EP of Minneapolis based duo Popstar arrived earlier this month, following on from their debut single ‘AFTERPARTY’, which I reviewed here. It’s a brisk affair, clocking in at only 9 minutes and featuring no songs that exceed the 3 minute mark, but don’t mistake that as the EP being style over substance; ‘OBSCENE’ is an impressive case of raising a middle finger to genre conventions, and a showcase of making music that is simply fun to listen to.

Blown-out drum loops and violently distorted guitars present an industrial nightmare of a soundscape, whilst the band’s usage of slick, catchy rhythms and screamed, fuzzy vocals add elements of dance-punk and hyper pop into the mix. The opening track, ‘AFTERPARTY’, is like being bludgeoned over the head repeatedly with a glittery sledgehammer, demanding you dance as much as mosh. The chiptune beats are a great little touch to the track, again pushing the track further into a grey area of genre definition.

‘20/20 VISION’ is a crushing, repetitive affair, with a stomping rhythm set beneath a hypnotic central vocal hook that ensnares you and refuses to let you put your attention elsewhere. ‘SOULS’, on the other hand, arrives on the back of jarring percussion, before slamming into the listener with riffs and vocal flows that wouldn’t go amiss on a nu-metal record. It’s an effortlessly cool panic attack of a track, especially as the track reaches its frantic climax with squealing guitars that sound almost more like feedback than instruments.

Yes, it’s a short EP, but the brutal nature of ‘OBSCENE’ plays into this perfectly. The tracks aren’t built to be long and winding, they are made to be bite sized, densely packed packets of explosive hedonism and existential dread in equal measure. Perhaps an extra song on here would have made the whole affair feel more just a little more substantial, but is wanting even more of something truly a complaint?

For a debut EP, Popstar have excelled at showing the world exactly what they’re all about, compiling four tracks of brilliantly thrilling chaos. It’s ‘OBSCENE’ by name, and obscene by nature, unapologetically crashing your playlist and making an absolute scene.

RATING: 79/100 – Mostly Very Good

For Fans Of: Death From Above 1979, Death Grips, 100 Gecs, Knife Party, Zardonic

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify // Twitter