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THE REVIEW
These five guys come from near Manchester, and with a steady stream of EPs and tours, they've built up quite a buzz around their first album. However, these days, more often than not, hype = something borderline terrible that's absurdly overrated.
The risk of presenting with a lousy album was fairly high, as there's much to be said about originality. The singer sounds like Johnny Rotten, and the band moves between the darkness of Joy Division and the politics of The Clash, with guitars that are typical of the garage sound that's so popular these days. Aesthetically, they resemble The Fall from their good old days, but they certainly don't hold back on provocations (often likened to bands like Fat White Family).
The album opens with a classic garage punk track, Lee's voice is always very theatrical as it alternates between whispers and screams that seem to announce an immediate apocalypse, supported by an atmosphere that confirms this, but only a few minutes later the sun shines again, even though the clouds remain in the background. A heterogeneous album that still reeks of inexperience and finds its peak in the slower moments. In fact, it closes with a 7-minute gallop that is as epic as few others and at times spine-chilling.
The good fortune of Cabbage is that they're talented, but does (post) punk still have something to say in 2018? The new emerging English movement (Shame, IDLES) says yes, and we want to believe it, but currently, it all seems quite irrelevant, unfortunately.
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Summary by Bot
Cabbage's debut album combines garage punk energy with punk influences like Joy Division and The Clash. The band shows promise with theatrical vocals and provocative themes, shining brightest in slower songs. Despite the talent and buzz, the album suffers from a sense of inexperience and raises questions about the current relevance of post-punk.
