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Dry Cleaning, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Savages
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Queer alt rock
" Wry alt rock with a captivating approach "
“Unum: the Latin word for oneness, unity, a sense of being whole”.
ĠENN’s 2023 album finds the art-punk quartet evolving into a stylish alternative rock unit. Following the Anglo-Maltese band’s debut EP, ‘Liminal’ (2021), ‘unum’ provides natural continuity, defining their captivating approach. Their songs circle around themselves like smoke, creating a seductive haze. ‘Calypso’ lyrically honors the band’s roots with a psychedelic yet delicate effect, since three of them – Leona (vocals), Janelle (guitar), and Leanne (bass) – left Malta to relocate to the UK, where they met Sofia (drums).
“The land is dry/ the land filters through the gills/ old and rusting in the midst of September”: ĠENN sing about life, race, identity, and art in the post-Brexit landscape. ‘Days And Nights’ is intense and unfolds slowly, starting off less vigorously but becoming a hard post-punk rocker further along – like they previously did with the single ‘Just Another Love Song’ (2021), although now in a more mature and holistic way. The band seems at its best when there is some kind of tension amidst its misty sounds.
‘ROHMERESSE’ starts like a sinister nursery rhyme (“I wanna stay in all day/ I wanna sleep in all day all day/ I wanna stay in all day/ I wanna sleep in all day all day”) before Leona’s spoken-word feel, odd observations about life pass by in a surreal blur (“this naive air of candour seems to rejuvenate me/ it hasn’t been easy to dream/ me and my body have a close relationship/ yet I feel nothing like myself”). ĠENN play with urgent, rocking drumming, aggressive yet fully textured guitar and bass, and masterful, gutsy singing.
