Sophie Holtzmann writesAlbum Review: “Cut” by No Men

If you have not heard of the Chicago band No Men, truly I weep for you. This band relocated from Texas and has done a lot in the years since they’ve been on the scene.

This three-piece act is angry, femme-fronted, vocal supporters of LGBTQ, and are just fantastic artists with a unique sound. Preferably you’ll pause reading this, and listen up on their discography so that you can fully appreciate the importance of their new release, Cut, with Let’s Pretend Records.

This newest release is right on trajectory for our hopes and expectations. Consistent with the sound we know and love, Cut is characterized by a driving percussive pace and diverse melodies. It’s a two track cut and both songs hit that happy balance between aggression, tongue-in-cheek, and empowerment.

The first track, “Cut if Off”, is a testimony to the diverse sounds and styles this band achieves. This song starts with a clean and bobbing progression, to completely decompose into fuzz and grime, just to resurface in wailing tones. Perhaps most impressive to this range is that this is one guitarist milking these sounds out. The vocals compliment this with heavy feed-back, low and dulcet tones and the heavy drums string it all together.

Overall, this release is a necessary part of any punk-enthusiast’s rotation. No Men hits a fresh new sound that keeps their music dynamic and interesting. There’s a tension in the tracks that escalates just to the point of complete chaos, but still retains a succinct coordination and direction. It’s a refreshing approach that makes it easy to loop these tracks.

This band is one of my personal favorites on the Chicago scene right now, and seeing them is believing it. You can give their new album a listen on Bandcamp or Spotify, but after a good listen, I’d suggest getting out to go see a show to see it in person.