It’s interesting to see what bits of a band’s song or look or sound or bio jump out at you first. In the case of SALt, it was not just their cavalier attitude towards capitalization that caught my attention but the fact that they had recently supported Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, a band that became such an essential part of my musical learning curve back in the day. And if a band as discerning and as important (for me at least) as that wants them opening up for them, then they are a band I need to write about and generally spread the word.
Blending crunching garage rock guitars, punked-up energy, and attitude-laden accessibility, “I Hate You All” does what all the best punk music did: blend aggressive pop melodies with raw, raucous, razor-wire deliveries.
But, on reflection, despite what the title suggests, “I Hate You All” isn’t really punk, but it does come from a similar place. A place where swagger and foot-on-the-monitor cool, edge and angst, low-slung sonic energy, attitude and menace, staccato riffs, and snarling post-punk salvos are the order of the day.
SALt understands how to take all the best bits of past genres and not get weighed down with baggage. “I Hate You All” has rock’s groove but none of its cliched bravado. It has punk’s fire but none of its immaturity. It has pop’s presence but does so through sonic weight rather than throwaway gimmicks, gothic vibes without the ham-fisted theatrics and it has post-punk inventiveness without any of the associated doom and gloom.
No, it’s not punk…it’s better than that. Much better.
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