ĠENN, Liminal
Everything Sucks Music
Off the back of three deliciously funky singles, ĠENN have just released their EP Liminal, a follow-up but in no world a repeat of their debut album Titty Monster. In keeping with the title, Liminal is an ever-shifting sanctum of sound, morphing between art-punk psychedelia to grungy guitar bops to gloomy lofi pop without skipping a beat. Drawing on their penchant for telling a striking story, and their surprising melee of influences, ĠENN have woven a wonderfully vivid, varied EP that, in guitarist Janelle Borg’s words, really does “unpack a lot of random shit!”
There’s definitely two distinct sides to the EP. Consider side A the first three tracks, the singles: Feel, Mackerel’s Funky Mission, and 23rd March, replete with upbeat, syncopated rhythms that shimmy through layers of twanging, ritualistic guitar grooves, and vocalist Leona Farrugia’s otherworldly narrations. Feel and Mackerel’s Funky Mission glitter with intrigue, beckoning you into Liminal and grabbing you hook, line, and sinker as they jangle through swaying melodies and chromatic kaleidoscopes. 23rd March, a date that all on its own introduces a fateful sense of doom, turns us slightly in the direction of the darker tones of side B. The Britpop-meets-90s-girl-power tune is still a groove, but the chords of the chorus and the snappy vocal delivery definitely switch up the pace, calling on another aspect of ĠENN’s hugely multifaceted sound.
Side B then – it kicks off with a definitive call to arms, as Catalyst samples a crowd chanting “revolution” before launching off into a gritty, Placebo-esque riff. This is the closest we get to ĠENN’s Riot Grrrl roots, just to prove they’ve still got it, but the haunting air of the vocals and the complex musical undercurrents doubly prove that even though ĠENN still have their Riot Grrrl creds, they’ve evolved. Just Another Sad Song dims the energy; it’s the definition of melancholy, Leona’s whispered vocals sitting above keening, monotonous guitars before the song swells to a highly concentrated emotional crest that drops away as fast as it arrives. Finally, Falling Out closes off the EP with a sense of full-circle completion – it’s another utter bop, underpinned by moody melodies and a breezy vocal line, drawing together all the funk, heart and power ĠENN have provided all the way through.
Liminal might sit between the lines of genre, but even as it traverses its own wild landscapes, it’s still a definite cohesive set of songs. ĠENN’s trademark sound is quickly becoming unmistakeable – but will whatever they do next sound anything like this? Chances are, probably not. But it’ll be packed with ambition, and they’ll nail it.
Liminal is out today.
