Iceage – You're Nothing

On their sophomore album You’re Nothing, Danish punk-rock group Iceage once again wows audiences with their ambition. Iceage creates an album that has the perfect ratio of noise and poignant lyrics. All of the songs are under three minutes, which makes them even more powerful pieces of punk. The opening track “Ecstasy” starts out strong, building to a breakdown where Elias Bender Rønnenfelt shouts “pressure, pressure / I can’t take this pressure,” which resonates even after the song has ended. Like their last album New Brigade, the guitar is impeccable, expertly giving off the punk rock vibe without feeling like your ears are being attacked.

“Awake” starts out with an upbeat guitar rhythm, bringing me back to the early 1990s. This song is the epitome of “lo-fi punk” with definite punk elements, but distortion to make the songs seem less harsh. At one point in the song, Rønnenfelt performs a bout of spoken word, which causes the audience to take a moment and really try to understand what he is saying.

The closing track “You’re Nothing,” which also bears the title of the album, is an ironic twist to end the album. With upbeat instrumentals and melancholy lyrics, this song provides an interesting ending to an overall very solid and well-rounded sophomore album.

I would definitely recommend this album to people who love punk rock and want to hear what is on the forefront for punk as a genre. It’s also a great album to listen to if you are angry and want to release some stress– because who doesn’t have a bad day every once in awhile?

Check out the video for “Ecstasy” below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtIbGik0Sys]

– Caitlin Harrington

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