Plastic have decided upon an ambitious Album title, with Here There Is No Gravity, complete with an album cover straight out the page book
of cartoons like Rick and Morty and Salad Fingers. Fittingly, their songs have
the twists and turns to match. The album was released on 9th March.
Opener Flossing at
first has a melodic pop-punk feel in its guitar melody. Throughout the song
however, the band transition to showcase choppy, powerful riffs that feel like
the musical equivalent of a snowboarding trip caught in an avalanche. This
gives their sound a balance between an upbeat playfulness (bolstered by the fact
that the lyrics in Flossing at first lash out with a little toilet humour) and
a powerful, edgy sound which nods to bands like Alice in Chains, Corrosion Of Conformity, and at times even the dark, atmospheric tones captured by Gallows
on Grey Britain. The vocals contain echoes of Archers of Loaf and Nirvana,
with a weather beaten smokiness, giving a likable character.
These contrasts are something which Plastic work with well
across the album. The fact that they don’t take themselves too seriously is an
unlikely compliment to the overhanging darkness both in musicality and the
themes of substance abuse and isolation. Even the deceptively happy sounding
guitar licks during the bridge in Flossing have a cold sense of desperation just
underneath. Another strength is their dynamism into heavy jamming riffs within
a concise song format, giving an experimental edge that doesn’t veer off into
self indulgence.
Situations opens with stern, hoarse vocals that could have
been sung through gritted teeth, together with dynamic guitar that creates a
feeling not unlike being in a plane taking off, or a car setting off a little
too fast. It is a song that provides the same kind of thrilling catharsis that Radio Friendly Unit Shifter by Nirvana did during my teenage years.
The use of thick, snarling licks and bass chords gives the album’s
heavier moments a sledgehammer effect. Several songs, particularly Wool and
My Warm Bed have the same ominous sense of tension that characterised bands
like Jawbox and Paint it Black.
Skin Peeling delves into heavier territory with no frills,
full throttle drumming, and the pace and vocals of hardcore punk. On this song
the vocalist has a yelling akin to Tezz Roberts of Discharge. It makes for
wonderfully powerful listening, and, I suspect, my new staple for days when I
need a little motivation.
I’ve Been Floating opens with an eerie sounding melody
that sounds not quite synth, not quite guitar, and not quite bells. What’s more
is the similarity to the quiet interlude moments of Sweat Loaf, by The
Butthole Surfers (itself a hilariously demented cover of Sweet Leaf by Black
Sabbath.) Either way it’s an appealing use of experimentation, and adds yet
another flavour to the personality of the album.
Here There Is No Gravity is a work that was made through
toil, drug induced alienation and hard work. and has paid off, conquering
despair like a diamond in the rough.
Plastic’s future seems full of potential. My advice is to be
daring and broaden their horizons by exploring more distorted jams,
atmospheres, and blending of genres like they have shown signs of across the
album. If they achieve this and develop their sound to stand out from their
contemporaries (other grungy bands like Milk Teeth tread threateningly similar
ground) then I would place my bets on Plastic being the next breakthrough UK
rock outfit.
Plastic will be playing at the first Fuzz Thursday gig on March 22nd in Manchester at The Bread Shead, along side Sounds Like A Storm, Trojan Horse and Psyence.
Listen to the album here
Review by Lawrence Peattie
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