Cerebral Ballzy – ‘Jaded & Faded’

Cerebral Ballzy are probably the most hyped punk band around right now. Interviewed by everyone from The Guardian to Spin and currently signed to Julian Casablancas’ record label, the Brooklyn-based punks are at the whim of press right now, so it’s fortunate they have the talent to back up the exposure.

Second album ‘Jaded and Faded’ sounds great on first listen, borrowing heavily from Black Flag and Keith Morris’ latest project OFF, but with an added modern indie-tinge.
‘Jaded and Faded’ is less about lyrics and more about experimenting with rhythm and rhyme, so it’s no surprise that singer Honor Titus also writes spoken word poetry too. His stripped down delivery works well with the chunky 80’s riffs that dominate the background, juxtaposing fresh sounding vocals over the hardcore chaos.

Cerebral Ballzy’s heart is in New York, but the city odes found in ‘Jaded and Faded’ such as ‘Downtown’ and ‘Pretty in the City’ could work for any major town. The cynical romance of ‘Better in Leather’ works as well imagined into Dalston as it does Brooklyn.

However once you scratch below the surface there isn’t much depth, many of the songs consist of simple repetition of similar lines, i.e “fast food, kill that dude” from ‘Fast Food’ and ‘Let’s get fucked up tonight, because it’s pretty in this city” from ‘Pretty in the City’. Even deep lines such as “the parade of idiots, shaded by ignorance” fail to add any context, and come across as more of a passing observation than a crushing blow. There’s certainly no politics here, just party jams.

If you want deep and meaningful, there’s little chance of finding it here but if you’re seeking loud, brash anthems to drink your summer beers to then be sure to crack one open to Cerebral Ballzy. It’s a fun, if short-lived listening experience, as long as you don’t think about it too much.

JAY SULLIVAN