Ghost Of The Avalanche – ‘Obsessive Compulsive Gender Dysphoria’.

Ghost Of The Avalanche – Frome, England, United Kingdom.

For GOTA’s last MF appearance – Click Here.
Cover photo credit – Simon Holiday.

I could rattle on about why this band have been nothing but noteworthy and entertaining up until this point in their career or I could tell you the reasons that may lead to your eventual pre-order or purchasing upon release. I should think the latter would be more fitting as for GOTA this is a landmark release for more reasons that are maybe obvious. To Frome!

Obsessive Compulsive Gender Dysphoria as a record title is a mouthful but a mouthful of reality and genuine feeling. The 25th August 2017 is the day where an EP that arguably is the culmination of what the band have been heading for takes its audio battering-ram to the gates of your ear drums.

‘Oblivion’ is haunting. The band take a trip back to their stylistic past with the stripped down distortion and classic Punk-Rock rhythms with dated but just as welcome Hardcore breakdowns, as a sort of psychotic laughter accompanies this tale of woe.

OCGD is a serious record, make no mistake. From the recent transition of Mel-Per-Hour into gender fluidity, to the strong socio-political charge the band have always championed, their humorous delivery is just in aid of their catharsis.

‘They Hate You Too’ stylistically takes the band’s older Punk sound and supplements it with the warped Garage-Alternative Rock sound of their previous release. You have the band’s Hardcore appreciation and you have their playful tendencies but also have a song where the outward appearance of those who were “superior” to the “weirdos” of the past really can’t hide.

‘Where I’m glad they’ve obviously decided not pick on the weirdos anymore I also hate these kind of people who just forget that they used to try and kick my ass and now wanna be my best friend. I remember what you were like, I can still see through your facade of bullshit, ‘your face looks the same to me.’ – Mel-Per-Hour.

GOTA and their Pop melodies have always fluctuated in prominence, sometimes only appearing half-heartedly or sometimes in fact leading the pack by a nose but in the case of ‘White Noise’, the band almost completely submerge their harder sound in this song and dance that you can’t help but feel sounds very Ramones-like. GOTA have never had any real difficulty in organising their track-list and in this case the curveball has hit its target but notably couldn’t have done-so without its melodic predecessor.

‘Snake Charmer’ is another short one that slowly sees the band head back towards their harder Punk and Rock foundation. The track may be stripped down and simplistic but it’s nothing but engaging. Ghost Of The Avalanche are adept at noisey Punk-Rock but when they calm it down, they do so enthrallingly and with ‘Snake Charmer’ they have a little bash at the confidence of the “suits” while they’re at it.

Before I lambast you with more reasons of this EPs importance I feel the skill at arms of both Nick Wiltone and Mel-Per-Hour deserve some credit. Live and on recording the two-piece are nothing but compositionally tight but with this fourth release it’s only improved. The contrast between the vocal chords of both members is at its best and the constant juxtaposition between two people that could easily play in both a Hardcore Punk band and a Pop-laden Garage Rock powerhouse of not-shit Pop-music, is at its most symbiotic.

‘Dystopia’ is nothing but playful in its intro despite its obvious warning. My inner post-Orwellian wingey-lefty soul found this track one of the best lyrically while musically unexpected. With the constant heavy-to-poppy cross over this EP has shown I honestly expected a charge of Hardcore but instead gritty low-ridden Garage Punk closes this EP and as much as my objective brain is trying its best to find a problem with that, I have nothing.

Ghost Of The Avalanche are Punk-Rock band. Enjoy!

Find the band, the pre-orders below:

• Social Media/Updates: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
• Music: bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube Channel.

#StayFresh