WE CNTRL SAFETY

REVIEW BY ANTI/JIMMY

Oh boy. This is another video that I've really been looking forward to posting. Not particularly because it's the most amazing display of raw talent to ever hit the web or anything, but just because it's so damn bizarre and out-there that I think it'd be beneficial for you turds to bend your ear in this direction. This is Safetycntrl, which, as far as I can tell, was put together by a single guy up in Nebraska who's probably way too ironic for his own good. The project's Bandcamp page says that it's hailing from Kentucky, but at this point in my internet-punk career, I've learned to take those listed locations with a grain of salt. You won't be fooling me this time, internet. This is the brainchild of said ironic fella, who I'm not entirely sure if they'd want me to refer to them by name, since it's not mentioned anywhere on the Bandcamp page. Being someone who's keen on anonymity myself, I'll maintain the distinction between the two just in case. Just be aware that this fella is a walking piece of satire, and it really shows in this eight (nine?) track tape. I really wouldn't know where the hell to start with this project, not even an all-encompassing genre to refer to it by. There's a number of subgenres that would umbrella over this thing, but I'd feel like it'd be an injustice to classify it by a single one of them; the Bandcamp page's tags say country and "dissonant pop", so let's just go with that. It's just as good as any other classification I could've possibly come up with. Safetycntrl is an extremely weird techy-punk project that's rarely comprehensible. For the most part, it's jerky, unembellished melodies that sounds like they're emanating out of a circus tent, but there's definitely still some hits hidden within the confines of this stupid-looking tape. I've gotten a handful of these sort of projects sent to me in the past: deliberately weird, non-sensical "avantgarde" stuff that's under the guise of punk. To me, those sort of projects are a lot like harsh noise stuff or other considerably-experimental genres that I can never ever hope to understand. It's not that I think it's bad or anything, I just can't wrap my head around it, my brain's not wired to find enjoyment in those sorts of sounds. Thankfully, Safetycntrl doesn't simply aim to weird you out; it's still catchy as hell, with more than enough elements of "what the fuck" tossed in to capture your interest the whole way through. It's somewhat dissonant and rarely contains chords that aren't chromatic, and contains plenty of distorted sound clips within and in between tracks, but still doesn't fall into the same grey area that other experimental projects of this nature do, for me at least. This tape had my toes tapping more than once, especially when it picks up towards the middle of the first track, "Ur Truck Sux." I'm seriously having a difficult time pinning down what exactly it is that's getting to me so badly. Every instrument involved, which I think is just a guitar, bass, drum machine, and some keys, perfectly nails the disjointed atmosphere it's aiming for. Is it supposed to be shitty? Because I really, really like it. Downplay it all you want and call it stupid, but I honestly think it's brilliant and a ton of fun. Check it out for yourself, I guarantee you'll find something you like in this shitshow. If not, you can write an angry comment down below, and I'll subsequently threaten your punk ass with physical violence over the internet. Better watch the heck out, dude. If you like what you're hearing, you can pick up a tape on the Bandcamp link below. Five dollars, including shipping. That's a steal, yo, especially when you consider that each tape comes with hand-drawn art, a "secret message", and a bonus interlude track that isn't included in the digital release. I haven't received mine yet, so I can't comment on that missing track, but I'm just gonna assume that it's as good as the rest of the junk. Plus, major props to anyone that does anything by hand on their tapes, I'm a sucker for that sort of stuff.