Red Mass

Montreal punk scene stalwart Choyce and his latest project, sprawling shock pop collective Red Mass, continues to charge ahead in a self-contained bubble of gritty space party garage rock on the latest self-titled release, and for a bunch that favour quick release turnarounds over laboured studio time, it sounds pretty impressive. Not quite lo-fi but never too clean, only "Success for Crime" fits neatly into the typical vintage punk production aesthetic, with a soft fuzz guitar wash that sits low in the mix compared to the nice, chunky bass, while "Lord of the Rats" sounds like the hyperactive spawn of an MC5/Devo union, its soul-shout vocals and messy percussion competing with clean and simple chord progressions that build into the best track on the album. This release will fit in nicely with the indiscernibly "too hip/not hip at all" Jay Reatard crowd or with disciples of the mighty King Khan. Red Mass favour persona and lifestyle over substance, and although mostly off the grid, this "let's get shit faced" party mentality thrives in a live setting where believers and over-analytical music journalists alike come together.