Old With The New: Mad // No Fuss by Sunderer
Photo Credit: @greyhillsstudio
Calgary post-punk outfit Sunderer recently released their second single, a year after their first studio single “Drink Culture”. Drawing inspiration from various eras in post punk history, the band rides and dies off of an aggressive sound that balances rhythmic repetition and raw energy, and their new double single “Mad // No Fuss” demonstrates very well why this style hasn’t gone out of favour in the punk scene.
One important aspect of post punk is that it isn’t at all a continuation of punk, but rather an expansion and experimentation of it. How can you call a band like Pere Ubu post-punk when they predated The Clash? In any sense, post-punk still carries some of the ethos that defined hardcore punk, and the A-side “Mad” is a great example of this. The track takes the trope of writing very straightforward and passionate lyrics and uses it to build a track that’s both heavy and unrelentingly rhythmic, constantly building and maintaining energy throughout the track. The lyrics are simple. They’re fucking mad about the world. And yet, because of how well the band carries the energy in the track, it brings out the unique sound of their post-punk style while also maintaining a rebellious spirit.
The second track, “No Fuss”, is closer to their debut single in style, keeping the raw lyricism and the rhythm but adding more melody into the track. This track leans much closer to the experimental side of post-punk, creating a rhythmically complex track that never feels like it's losing its steam, which is very impressive. A large reason I can attribute to this for both tracks is how well the drums and bass are incorporated into the music, having just as large of a presence in the track as the rest of the instruments. Because of this, the track is able to ground itself, allowing the rhythm to flourish while the song escalates and changes.
As a whole, this single reminds me a lot of Shame’s “Drunk Tank Pink”, and how that record also manages to blend complex post-punk song structures and melodies with raw and energetic rhythm and sound. If you’re looking for that sound while also wanting something closer to classic hardcore punk, I can’t recommend this single and band enough, and I highly recommend everyone check out their amazing live session on CJSW Radio’s Youtube, where they play some unreleased tracks as well. Plus, the cover has a dog on it. How can you not love it?