Lee Hammond discovers absurdist dystopian themes and catchy pop from Quasi
Sub Pop
Released: 10.02.23
This long-awaited return of Quasi doesn’t fail to deliver, laden with absurdist dystopian themes often crossing the border into reality. Right from the off there’s an infectious groove, but this is underpinned by a darkness particularly evident in Queen Of Ears, its upbeat track belying the lyric “rehearsing your demise”.
As Breaking The Balls Of History continues, the heavier the tracks become, and the absurdity escalates. Doomscrolling calls out anti-vaxxers and climate deniers, while Rotten Wrock and Nowheresville provide an equally bleak outlook, before closing track The Losers Win compounds the misery with its slow, heavy beat, finishing the record in style. At times Quasi’s catchy pop rhythms mask the despair, but at its climax the gloom is plain to see.