Koalra - Disasterclass (Gigantic Noise Records)

I made the point when writing about Koalra’s recent release, “The Clouds Still Hang on You,” that the job of a single is to tease the audience and test the water, to build intrigue and anticipation for a more extended release to follow. Well, that single did a great job, as I have been waiting to be enveloped in the full sonic embrace of Disasterclass for a while now. And here it is.

Expectations are tricky things to manage, and building them up too much often results in disappointment; even great albums can seem under par if your expectations for them have been raised to heights beyond the reach of even the most talented artists. I did go into this album with high expectations, I couldn’t help it, but it is fair to say that Disasterclass didn’t disappoint. Not one bit.

Koalra makes music that seems to blend beauty and balls, melody and muscle, for every squalling, squealing, sky-searing moment of sonic bliss, there are equal amounts of more brooding and balancing interludes, moments when the guitars jangle rather than jolt, beats are buoyant instead of bombastic and bass lines pulse and punctuate rather than merely punch. I also appreciate that the vocals are often submerged in the music, acting as much like an instrument as a deliverer of lyrics and in doing so, never stealing the limelight. something many rock bands would to well to try.

“The Hills” is an excellent example of this deft balance at work, a track that shimmers and chimes, pulses with anticipation for that explosive moment. The great thing is that Koalra knows that they can make things more interesting by never quite delivering that expected (see, expectations again, they can’t be trusted) crescendo, and so the listener is left on the edge of their seat, listening intently, deeply involved in the song.

“With You” is initially happy to run along at its own dynamic and pace but has several noticeable gear changes as relentless and hypnotic bass and beat energy is joined by white-hot guitar intensity that seems to be burning holes in the music, covering everything in a shower of sonic sparks. The title track reminds me in no small way of Echo and the Bunnymen, something that I wasn’t expecting, something that is very welcome indeed. And between the sonic storm of songs such as “Sticks & Stones” and ambient drifts of album swansong “Closer,” it becomes evident that Koalra has done what all great bands are capable of doing. Pulling you in with a great single and then saying, “If you thought that was all we were about, sit tight and listen.”

Disasterclass is an exceptional album; there is no other way to put it.

Koalra
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