ALBUM REVIEW: Perpetually Sad Motion Machine – Guerrilla Ghost

In these politically turbulent times, some bands have been consciously taking steps away from offering biting social commentary in favour of giving their fans an escape through their music. But in times as testing as these, where just about everything seems to be getting worse, GUERRILLA GHOST are one artist who isn’t staying silent. The Milwaukee duo write politically-charged music that serves to hold up a mirror to a post-Trump America and interject their own views on a country becoming increasingly divided every day. Touching on everything from social media to rape culture, the band examine the current socio-political landscape through the lens of their gritty, electronic hip-hop.

Perpetually Sad Motion Machine is the nine-track follow-up to 2017’s Suicide Notes of the 21st Century and features the same aggressive energy and abrasive production that existing fans keep coming back for. Their latest offering is littered with features from the likes of Lindsay DeGroot, Commakazee, and Carnage the Executioner – in fact, seven out of the nine tracks contain features from artists of equal esteem – and the resulting piece of work is as versatile as it is vibrant.

The album opens with A Movie Kind of Life; a caustic, full-throttle piece somewhat reminiscent of artists like HO99O9 and DEATH GRIPS. The band’s somewhat pessimistic outlook can be summed up in the titular line “It’s a movie kind of life, with no happy ending”. Blending elements of hip-hop with ferocious screamed vocals, all the while underpinned by cutting production from Tron Jovi; the band quickly introduce listeners to their unique modus operandi and drop hints as to what’s in store on the rest of the album.

One of the best showcases of the sheer lyricism and vocal talent possessed by Bad Graphics Ghost comes on the track Everybody Rap. The track covers issues of race present in society (and how such issues are exacerbated by the president) and how this bleeds into the music industry with ultra sanitised rappers with no substance gaining all the money and fame. Bad Graphics Ghost truly shines on this piece, and his musical pedigree is sure to appeal to hardcore hip-hop heads as well as the band’s usual following. Everybody Rap could easily feel at home in multiple genres and this stylistic ambiguity could attract new fans who might have overlooked the band before.

At around the mid-way point of the album comes GUERRILLA GHOST‘s unique take on a ballad piece Daughters. The track features Sarah Long, whose vocals brilliantly juxtapose the emotional wailing of Bad Graphics Ghost and lift the track to a totally new place. Repeating the mantra “The future is female” the song hits home the importance of women in the future and addresses women directly to reinforce the fact that they can be whoever they want to be, without having to seek validation from anyone. What results is a lyrically striking piece that has a message equally as important as it is vitally needed to be heard.

GUERRILLA GHOST have created an album that is lyrically stunning, at times steeped in melancholic despair, and not without its messages of hope. When living in these turbulent times take its toll on your sanity and feel like you have no escape, Perpetually Sad Motion Machine will give you a cathartic experience and may leave you with some hope for the future – even if just a shred.

Rating: 7/10

Perpetually Sad Motion Machine is set for release on November 23rd via Triple Eye Industries.

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