EP REVIEW: Poachers – The Freqs

Exploding out of the Salem, Massachusetts, noise loving THE FREQS blend fuzzed out stoner rock, psychedelia and the raucous attitude of punk to create a cacophony of noise that excites every fibre in your body. Poachers is an incredibly diverse and cohesive EP, bringing in brilliantly heavy, visceral stoner riffing with catchy melodic hooks and eerie psychedelic atmospheres, it certainly packs a lot in over its 28-minute runtime.

The haunting environment and turbulent history of Salem has been a clear influence on THE FREQS; throughout the EP you can feel an eerie darkness working its way through the chaos of the songs. Lead single Witch is sung from the perspective of a man accusing a woman of witchcraft for refusing his advances and it is a highly socially aware song about the impact of the predatory nature of the male gaze and it demonstrates how this form of accusation is a danger to society. With that in mind, there is a multitude of layers to this EP that can’t possibly be unpacked in one listen. This level of subtlety and nuance has to be admired.

Musically, the interesting blend of punk and stoner is quite exciting; gang vocals and thunderous, fuzzy stoner riffs are certainly a winning combination. Yet THE FREQS aren’t afraid to slow it down with some tracks and build a rich, intense atmosphere, as demonstrated on Asphalt Rivers. They also give into the spacey nature of psychedelia with Sludge Rats before bursting into their trademark monolithic grooves and catchy hooks.

Poachers is a really enjoyable EP. It is direct and to the point and it gives you everything you could possibly need from a stoner album with a wonderfully gritty and raw punk edge that makes you want to thrash around with reckless abandon.

Rating: 8/10

Poachers is set for release on February 3rd via self-release.

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