In Lieu "Hooligan" Review
Reviews by: Matthew Spraungel, Writer @mattysprinkles
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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In Lieu are practitioners of extremity, and on their latest full length offering Hooligan, sound as if they are out for blood. The band's home-base tends to be atonal riffing, voracious amounts of unruly effect pedal freak outs, stutter-stop rhythms, and atop the deluge, an almost inhuman sounding shriek serving as furious mouth piece. It is awesome. Their brand of sonic assault takes its cues from early grunge staples but has more to offer. It is noisy, raucous and brutal.
Across cuts like “Hail Mary” and the titular “Hooligan” the sludge riff, the groove that can barely pull its boots from the residual muck, and the dramatic pause you could drive a truck through reign supreme. Swirling racket permeates much of the album, always comfortably anchored by a notably restrained, yet absolutely stellar performance by drummer Mano Hogin. There’s no breakneck speed to be found here, and in its place, trudging, hard as iron beat downs. The intensity is often baffling, and utterly glorious. Often, when a passage doesn’t seem like it could possibly sound any more nauseating, the listener is swiftly proven mistaken via guitarist Sam Claeys’ chaotic effect laden adornments.
The band are not traditionalists by any stretch of the imagination. Gone are the four chord vamps of yesteryear. In lieu of (see what I did there?) the traditional verse-chorus-verse template, the band instead employs a more minimalism based approach to structuring most of their music. Songs like “Godfucker” and album opener “Petz” are prime examples of the band’s modus operandi. There is a musical idea at the center of a song, new ideas are introduced on top of it, and long before ever hitting the three minute mark, we’re onto the next. None of the ten tracks across Hooligan ever run longer than a minute or two, and not a single one suffers for it. Despite being a noise rock outfit that specializes in the quick and succinct, this group is masterful in their control of dynamism and patience. Don’t shoot the messenger, but they remind me more of a Radiohead than a Ramones. The operative difference being this stuff is void of meandering, and incredibly pissed off.
As rude as In Lieu’s sound is, and as sparse as their arrangements are, you could never accuse them of being inept songwriters. Most of Hooligan’s eighteen minute runtime is dominated by vocalist and guitarist Nikki Post’s gut wrenching scream, but there are also moments of excellent melody work. Tracks like “Bully” and “Christian Singles” are rife with total earworms. “Gremlin” is another definite stand out, and clear indicator of In Lieu’s ability to really craft a hook. The interplay between the guitar line, and vocal melody is absolutely pitch perfect. Organically contorting, giving way from beautiful haunt to ferocious abandon.
On the production side, the band prefers a more naturalistic presentation. Besides an electric piano flourish opening the record, and the obligatory shaker or vibraslap here and there, the record remains largely unvarnished with extra studio sprucing. I enjoy plenty of records that really go the extra mile in the overdubbing department, but honesty, and immediacy will always win out if you want to really let the songs speak for themselves. The record sounds fantastic, and the performances feel energized and full of life.
These folks are noisemakers through and through, but a one trick pony this is not. In Lieu is writing honest, visceral, so ugly-its-beautiful music from a place of deserved confidence. Their ability to write brief, but extremely powerful songs is intoxicating, and infectious. Hooligan is a towering achievement by a band poised to stand among the giants that influenced them. Despite the sheen of aimless mayhem, In Lieu is clearly a well-oiled machine.
