No Age | Weirdo Rippers

Weirdo Rippers is one of those records that took a long time to grow on me. I gave it a decent amount of listens around the time when the band was touring the East Coast in June when Nghia caught them live at 21 Mercer. At the time, I just couldn’t get into it, so I put it aside not knowing if I would give it another chance. I was scrolling through my iPod last week and came across No Age and decided to give it another shot, the songs clicked and with each listen they sounded better and better. I guess I was finally in the right mood.

For a collection of songs from five EP’s released on a variety of labels in March, Weirdo Rippers is a surprisingly cohesive record. The Los Angeles duo of guitarist Dean Spunt and drummer/vocalist Randy Randall take a spastic and energetic approach to songwriting. Songs hang in a hypnotic atmospheric haze with washing feedback drenched guitars and loops before taking a nosedive into “raw as fuck” (thanks Nghia) art punk with barely decipherable chanted vocals. “My Life’s Alright Without You,” an appropriate song for this summer, fits this structure with the beginning coming off soft and peaceful before tearing into unrefined, yet powerful art punk as Randall spouts “Well, I hate you/ I hate you/ My life’s alright without you.”

I think that is what really won me over in the end, the duo has this visceral power they unleash, but can also be gentle and calming before bombarding your eardrums.

No Age will be back on the East Coast in October, just in time for CMJ. They already have a Philly date at Johnny Brenda’s on October 19th. Weirdo Rippers, which has been out in the UK since June will see its U.S. release on August 28th via Fat Cat.

[MP3]: No Age  ”Neck Escaper”
[MP3]: No Age  ”My Life’s Alright Without You”