ALBUM REVIEW: Self Torque – A Brutal Nadir (Sugar-Free Records)
Self Torque are a three-piece from Brighton who were formed in early 2023 and A Brutal Nadir is their debut album.
They emerged onto the DIY punk scene from the ashes of various bands vocalist/guitarist Gabriel MacKenzie was in, and were initially intended as a solo project.
But he quickly picked up a couple of like-minded souls in Luke Ellis (Muncie Girls) on drums and Jay Cross (Break The Habit) on bass, and I’m glad he did.
Self Torque remind me a lot of The Blinders, the Manchester-based punk/post-punk combo who’ve sadly been on hiatus for the last couple of years. They show the same sort of intense energy in this 10-track whirlwind of a debut, which follows a couple of EPs.
Swaggering opener Wicker Incident‘s insistent guitars and impassioned vocals grab the attention immediately, and the urgency scarcely lets up for the next 28 minutes.
Fortitude and (All The Things I) Wannabe, the first track released as a foretaste of the album last October, are equally full of vim and vigour, but another single, Del Shannon, shows Self Torque are far from one-trick ponies.
Yes, it starts with big riffs and frantic vocals, but there’s a sudden change of pace, to gentle acoustic strumming and a plaintive croon, skittering drums, and even, at one point, a trumpet. Rather than being a paean to the late American singer it seems to be taking his biggest hit Runaway to heart, as MacKenzie sings: “I want to run away from all that I have become/Start a new life, start again, make believe, pretend.”
Fade To Black slows things down and is more reflective, but the propulsive drums of Was Once A Waltz mean that doesn’t last long, and Dill Temko (no, I have no idea what it means either) is a multi-layered wig-out where they end up sounding like Muse.
After a short instrumental, Respite, it’s back to punk rock bangers for the home run with most recent single High Temperature Serpent followed by Between Strangers.
A Brutal Nadir is an exhilarating listen, and apart from the Blinders, the band I’d most compare Self Torque to is probably The Hives. This is a super slice of modern punk music and I bet they absolutely kick arse live. 8/10.
- A Brutal Nadir by Self Torque is available digitally from their Bandcamp page HERE. Sadly there don’t seem to be CD or vinyl options at the moment.
