ALBUM REVIEW: Violent Entertainment – Ethyl Ether

Emanating from the shadows of the cloud covered Table Mountain and the sun drenched streets of Cape Town, South African psych rock quintet ETHYL ETHER have been carving out a name for themselves with their bombastic riffs, melancholic melodies, provocative psychedelia and grungy atmospheres. The band’s fourth album Violent Entertainment comes with an intense grit and raw honesty that hammers home a poignant message about the current state of human nature. With emotionally charged lyrics, ETHYL ETHER unapologetically hit close to home on this intense musical commentary on the strange, disconnected and isolated times that we are all living in.

As the saying goes, art reflects life, so ETHYL ETHER hold up a mirror to our current social status and what stares back is a bleak state of affairs. They vent their frustrations about how the world has become fixated on a steady stream of social media and reality TV – we’ve become void of any tangible humanity. As a result we can be easily influenced by whatever speaks strongest and shouts the loudest to our personal viewpoint as every facet of our lives is overtaken by the toxic algorithms that keep us glued to our devices. We have one foot in the real world and one foot in the world of social media.

Underneath the elegant THE VERVE-esque psychedelic and spacey layers, Violent Entertainment first and foremost laments this loss of real human emotion. It longingly cries out for a time of real human experiences and interactions which are void of the ever-looming presence of a smart phone. Along with the myriad of other complex issues that come from living a life online, this album feels like a call to action to examine, reflect upon and revaluate our relationship with the technology that has permeated every part of our lives. While we’re all wrapped up in likes, shares, retweets and so on, we forget that we are sociable organisms that need real interactions and as a result we are more isolated than ever before. This album is remarkably poignant and in many ways incredibly sorrowful despite its uplifting guitars and melodies.

Outside of Violent Entertainment‘s thought-provoking concept, ETHYL ETHER once again prove themselves to be intriguing and thoughtful songwriters. Each song is built on a strong foundation of riffs and melodies that swell and evolve as the song progresses. Expertly balancing raw, hard-hitting rock with delicate, intimate passages, the band seem to cover a vast stretch of rock and psychedelic ground whilst paying attention to the finer details. There is a grungy edge to this album that wasn’t heard as much on their previous album Chrome Neon Jesus, which further reinforces the importance of the message behind the album’s concept. Bringing in a plethora of influences from across the rock and indie spectrum, ETHYL ETHER have assembled a record that triggers your nostalgia, like the first time you ever listened to THE VERVE while simultaneously leaving you hoping for a brighter future where we can leave our devices in the other room.

Dead Conversation opens the album with a bit of venom, given the title is usually a phrase given to an online conversation that is going nowhere or is uninteresting. Big rock riffs and brutally honest lyrics really set the tone for the album. Phenomenal feels as though the song’s protagonist is wrapped up in their nostalgia as memories, photos and videos all continue to scroll past our eyes and we can’t tear ourselves away to heal, plunging you into a deeper depression. Six Feet Of Snow opens with a thunderous riff before dissolving into more shoegaze sounding verses with melancholic vocal melodies throughout. Vacant carries on the gentle shoegaze tones – a beautifully mournful song that fires into life with an anthemic, grungy chorus.

Good Neighbour injects a bit of funk and reggae into the mix, off beats and wah guitar leads take the album into a completely different direction. Satin and Compromise are pretty similar in their approach, beautiful floating melodies building to anthemic chord sections packed full of raw emotion. Exhibition snaps you out of the floaty nature of the previous two songs with a grungy attitude and catchy grooves. Field Of Shadows is the most beautiful song on the album, a ballad of faith and hope that stirs all the emotions in your soul; with gentle guitars and soft vocal melodies, the song will definitely move you. Seasons Of Gold then flips it straight back with aggressive riffs and powerful basslines, while Flowers closes the album with a melancholic flourish, encapsulating everything that the record is about.

Violent Entertainment is a deeply emotional and provocative album will stir your soul. With their unique brand of alternative rock and brutal honesty in their lyrics ETHYL ETHER have created an album that will resonate with a wide spectrum of people for a long time.

Rating: 9/10

Violent Entertainment is set for release on January 27th via Mongrel Records.

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