False Advertising are one of those bands you wished you had caught when they first started out. Listening to ‘Brainless’ today though, and last year’s self-titled debut LP, there’s no part of me that isn’t happy to have them in my life. This is a thoroughly satisfying blast of modern grunge in the same vein as Milk Teeth and Wolf Alice that should have any listener converted within minutes.
‘Alopecia’ is a fast-paced jam that powers through from start to finish, dragging the listener in and holding their head under its grungey depths until they rise, baptised in riffs and the dirty buzz of gain. Of all the tracks here, none other could be a better opener to the EP; it remains the definite high point while complementing the album as a whole and elevating what’s to come. ‘Alopecia’ keeps the focus on vocalist Jen Hingley, which ends up a wise choice – while the male vocals in later tracks definitely work well, the end result of ‘Alopecia’ is a self-contained introduction to the band’s sound, and the focus on a single vocalist allows the rest of the music to shine through.
The energy of ‘Alopecia’ is never really found again throughout the EP, though the tone remains thoroughly consistent. ‘Give Me Your Worst’ slows everything right down, trading out some of the punk found in ‘Alopecia’ for a more Sonic Youth vibe. The verses are musically stark, empty spaces filled out with perfect levels of noise before the chorus hits, a filthy pool of grunge with a darkly poppy vocal hook juxtaposed against the rest of the action. It’s here ‘Brainless’ first sees dual vocals, and the harmonies work wonderfully – dark, subdued, just the right level of subversion of melody to draw you in.
The same feel is found in ‘You’re Too Slow’, slightly to the song’s detriment. It’s still a great tune – every track here is great – but it never quite reaches the same levels as ‘Alopecia’ and ‘Give Me Your Worst’. Still, though, the stark verses bring out the brilliant ways False Advertising create intoxicating soundscapes through only three instruments in the same way as on ‘Give Me Your Worst’. There’s a level of synchronised musicianship on display throughout ‘Brainless’ that is a joy to listen to, especially in a band this young.
‘Piece of My Mind’ is the slowest and longest of them all, a drawn-out, muggy soundscape that sounds like the soundtrack to a fever dream. It’s comfortable in its pace, never feeling like it needs any more energy, or anything more than the noise on display to keep us listening. After ‘Alopecia’, it’s a personal highlight, driven along by complementary guitar and bass lines that switch around with each other, each taking the limelight at different points before coming together wonderfully. It eschews hooks, eschews any of the dark pop heard in some of the earlier tracks, instead focusing everything on the noise, building up to a beautifully twisted soundscape that harks back to ‘90s grunge and dark rock.
A lot of that darkness is lost in ‘Sigh’, though not in any bad way. It’s a definite album closer, and a perfect fit after ‘Piece of My Mind’; slightly poppier, channeling more of the modern wave of emo than the grunge-soaked tracks preceding it. The guitars are still dirty but far cleaner than before, letting the riffs come through of their own accord, the gorgeous tones shining where previously they were muffled. ‘Sigh’, and ‘Brainless’ all together, is a show of False Advertising’s ability to keep a consistent tone and sound while having a surprising amount of aural variety throughout.
For a simple five-track EP, ‘Brainless’ will catch you off guard. It is haunting, dark and beautiful from start to finish and is well worth your time. If False Advertising have reached such a solid level of musicianship within the space of a year, there’s no telling what levels they’ll reach after this.
WILL BRIGHT