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Experimental punks, PLEASER, are back with their newest record Begging Guitars. The Danish quartet put out their debut self-titled record back in 2023 to international acclaim that resulted performances across Europe and festivals like Metal Magic and K-Town Hardcore Fest. What sets them apart is their experimental approach to creating punk music by bringing in genres related to emo, metal and classic that culminates into a loud, vivid sound that, on the surface, appears chaotic, yet acts as the perfect representation of emotions displayed in each track. Another way to say it’s madness, but you’ll have the best time listening to it.
Little time is wasted with PLEASER letting us know what we’re in for with the opening title track starting things with elevated feedback before kicking off into, what can be summarised as, noisy punk that appears to have little structure and could be dubbed as pure noise, but it’s likely one of the best, if at least the most fun, pieces of music you’ll have likely heard in recent memory. You can hear the variety of influences trickle in, and, in a sense, this be seen as the product of combining punk with math rock, yet it goes even further when you start to key in on certain emotions that feel as chaotic and messy as they tend to in real life.
It’s an interesting record to be sure, with that summary being a massive understatement as while it can boil down to incohesive noise-punk that puts heavy focus on instruments as opposed to vocals, which shares the same chaotic nature, yet what sets it apart and brings it altogether is the emotions we’ve just mentioned. Much like with the human experience, nothing is set in stone, nothing makes sense, our feelings are at times difficult to articulate, but when you’ve experienced said scenario or emotion once, it all makes sense.
One moment, we can share the same frustrations expressed in different songs, with Here For The Sins, Lighten Up, and My Fantasy coming to mind, with the latter being one more linked to the world of teen angst while the remainder seems to be more on par with adult stress and anger, yet regardless of age or stage in life you can find yourself relating and enjoying. The next moment are tracks that bring you pure joy and escapism like in Ride and Hey Girl that won’t fail to bring a smile to your face regardless of the day you’ve had. And whatever the mood, you’re here to love and embrace the chaos. PLEASER has created something that feels very well suited for the phrase “don’t take yourself too seriously,” yet somehow manages to be something that fully sees and hears you with whatever you’re going through. A truly chaotic but beautiful thing.
Rating: 7/10
Begging Guitars is set for release on May 23rd via Part Time Records.
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The post ALBUM REVIEW: Begging Guitars – Pleaser appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
