Beat Panic's Blistering post-punk classic Vyvanse Macabre reviewed by Mark Jenkins.

 

Beat Panic's Blistering post-punk classic Vyvanse Macabre reviewed by Mark Jenkins.

Much better than Christmas and almost as great as your birthday is the day of a Beat Panic release. This band consistently drops such vivid audio illustrations of gradeur that never sit within one genre. Post-punk drives the sound, be it the jangly borderline shoegaze riffs or the grandiose rhythm section that is well in cahoots with moody synth and somber vocals. Through every release, the sound has expanded, dipping more into modern indie and darkwave.

These five tracks are deep and clever, a testament to how solid this band has always been since its inception. Melbourne has a lot of solid post-punk bands, but Beat Panic are still the top of the genre to me.

This lovely third EP builds on the previous two releases with more vigour and space. Opener Candour in Psychometry is punchy and vibrant in that dour Joy Division meets Magazine brilliance. Beat Panic has so many solid selling points, but they always have a wicked opener on each release that sets the tone and attitude. Anhedonia is more crispier than its predecessor and is punctuated by some wild riffs that are echoing and very crisp. Scott's vocals seem to lift a level with each release, and here he seems to lean into some New Wave greatness, and it is another gem that will fly when performed live. This is another lush document of how jangly and cacophonous the guitars sound in parallel to fairly dark vocal work, but it is audio perfection. The soundclash works so damn well. Let's also touch on Scott's lyrics; this is a super underappreicated art; the ability to produce quality and poetic lyrics without sounding wanky. It flows so well, with the high-level craft being so evident. It is like reading quality literature.


Falling Action is that moody, more expansive track that this quality band tend to drop mid-release and the breathing space is refined, brooding and has that semi PiL/Killing Joke feel that wins me everytime. The not-in-a-rush pace works so well. As always, this band knows how to write great structured songs with emotive finesse.
Götterdämmerung Capitalism fires up the cantankerous darkwave-inspired angst right up to 11; the riffs are so sharp, and as with all their releases, that driving drum and bass dominates. Beat Panic may not be reinventing the wheel, but the key is it has their flavour heavily stamped across every track. Their influences are quality, the musicianship is spot on, and each release reveals more colour underneath the sullen exterior.


Silent Type closes out this fantastic EP with one of their strongest songs ever. The vocals and synth were like a welcome pillow, soothing yet spiky as hell. This band always surprises me, and Vyvanse Macabre wins you over in truckloads. But hey this is a band that gets better and damn better each gig and each recorded prize they deliver.

Buy their music and merch and get top their gigs!!

Out now:

Release launch, tonight:


(but hey unlike me, you should already be there-i have parental duties what's your excuse!!!)








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