no by self love

At a time when what is possibly Britain’s worst band is a bass & drums duo, the format is in desperate need of salvation. Deliverance is here in the form of, “no”, the debut album from elusive Cambridgeshire-based, teenage punx Self Love. Barely seen in the flesh, outside of a handful of hometown appearances, the youthful pair have created their own self-contained universe as a coping mechanism to deal with isolation, both geographic and mental.

Teenage nihilism is a cliché as old as the concept for that mid-age, but Self Love wilfully play with its obviousness, layering outward mockery and self-derision, interspersing it with sincerity, until it is utterly opaque as to exactly who or what is the subject of vocalist Joshua’s deadpan ire and what are the intentions of their flatly intoned proclamations. All the nuanced lyricism contrasts excitingly with a delightfully minimalist musical structure, focussed on completely fuzzed-out, heavy riffs, utterly unspoilt by pointless guitars and tedious middle eights. Cramming 17 songs into 35 minutes, Self Love have no time to waste.

Within the East Anglian underground, Self Love have gained a reputation for careering, rattling tunes that hit the 60-second mark at breakneck speed and then suddenly stop. On “no”, they mix up these nuggets of willowy thrash with a few more considered, drawn-out pieces of what might be considered as sparse doom, resulting in a remarkably diverse and rounded collection of tracks formed from the simplest of ingredients.

Entirely self-recorded, edited, and mixed, “no” is the sound of two deeply attuned musicians eschewing outside interference and relying on their own survival instincts. It’s an essential slice of sub-urban English D.I.Y., applying 21st century self-reflection to the finest traditions of Messthetics-esque self-adventure.

We put records out sometimes. Please buy them.

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