Bad Egg’s new release titled Century Egg boasts seven tracks of scathing hardcore that crosses the boundaries of punk. The band’s progression has been documented over a smattering of singles and EPs since 2018, displaying a drive to forge an individualistic sound that has finally reached its culmination. In a genre where tradition is revered and change is feared, Bad Egg flips the genre script in true punk fashion.
Sonically, this record solidifies the band’s musical intent—wrangling screeching tones into alien punk-scapes that still leave plenty of room to experiment. Heaving drums, throaty vocals and octave-kissed guitar tone revel in the afterbirth of a cartoon hell, mocking the glitz and interminable stagnance of convention by stitching a Frankenstein of sound into fruition.
Fusing elements of rock, metal and proto-punk, the band ascribes no limitation to their sound. Pushing farther, drum & bass elements are introduced into their repertoire by usings samples, programmed drums and synth-bass warbles to bridge the gap between heavy and electronic.
The songwriting approach on this record submits conflict into cohesion. Each musical element engages in a repartee of spastic bursts of sound, making chaos communicable to those who may be unfamiliar with aggressive music.
Century Egg is a thematically charged offering touching on topics of mental illness, housing insecurity, and socioeconomic inequality. Lyrically, this record is a concise and deliberate stab at an unjust status quo, endeavouring to poeticise frustration and angst.
The lyrics “Falling upwards, punching down. Gatekeep this—you fucking clown!” is screamed over a tumbling stretch of raucous drums and blazing guitars. Personally, I’m a big fan of the anti-gatekeeping sentiment, especially in a context that expresses such a sentiment through creative means.
Bad Egg’s production hammers home a sonic vision that I’m certain will be the blueprint for future releases. Though some may refer to this release as a departure from previous material, it’s a shining example of how a band evolves as their thoughts and ideas become clearer while the means to express those thoughts and ideas become tangible. This is a must- listen for fans of KW heavy music. “Goodnight.”
FFO: Amebix, Bad Brains, The Mob, 8-Eyed-Spy, Mr. Oizo,
Associated Acts: Sourface