Audacity – ‘Hyper Vessels’

By Glen Bushell

When you hear that an album has the word “hyper” in the title, you expect nothing less than a ballistic experience. If that is what you are looking for then Californian punk band Audacity are here to help with that. From the moment you hit play on ‘Hyper Vessels’ it doesn’t give you a single chance to catch your breath, and is as hyperactive as the name suggests. Even if you were to expect a reprieve from the cacophony with a song titled ‘Hypo’ you would be mistaken.

Produced by the one and only Ty Segall, he has brought the chaotic side of Audacity to the forefront. The guitars are disjointed, the drums frenzied and the vocals unrelenting. Yet this time around Audacity sound more concise than their previous material. The hip-shaking swagger of ‘Counting The Days’ and ‘Baseball’ weld the aforementioned elements together without ever sounding messy or unhinged, just utterly infectious and cohesive.

‘Hyper Vessels’ still sounds raw and ragged but there seems to be more clarity to Audacity. What they tried to achieve before has finally been realised on the brash, garage-punk anthem ‘Not Like You’. They also channel the spirit of ’77 on ‘Fire’ and put their own spin on it like only Audacity can. However for every sharp snare crack and each over-driven chord progression there is distinct sense of melody buried in the record. ‘Previous Cast’ finds Audacity at their most uplifting and brings a surf-pop element to the table, while the bass-driven ‘Overrated’ calls to mind the sugar coated hooks of The Buzzcocks.

Lyrically, the album feels like a release for the members of Audacity. It was born out of the insular surroundings of small-town America, ultimately leading to pent-up hyperactivity. The melodramatic storytelling of broken relationships and frayed friendships is masked by the frenetic nature of ‘Hyper Vessels’. Even the sunshine-soaked ‘Lock On The Door’ that closes the album carries a lovelorn narrative but manages to keep you smiling until the final moments.

After being a band for nearly 10 years Audacity are no strangers to writing good songs. Yet whether they were aiming to or not they have now moved up to writing great songs. They have come into their own on ‘Hyper Vessels’ and created a wild, exhilarating ride from start to finish.

GLEN BUSHELL

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