Belgian noiseniks RONKER cook up a head-swivelling frenzy on their second album while dipping into darker, more existential places.
Ever crave an album loud and noisy enough to practically defibrillate you? That’s the sort of music Belgium ‘speednoise’ troupe RONKER trade in, and it’s a constant thrill. As scabrous as they may sound, their second LP is far from all-brawn-no-brains affair, stretched into different dimensions with the addition of brass, piano and bursts of melody. Within this maelstrom is a whole barrage of thoughts and feelings to sift through relating to the complexities of band life, from the electrifying highs to crushing moments of despair.
RONKER’s first move is to instantly go for the jugular, diving in with the rickety riffs of opener Tall Stories while vocalist/guitarist Jasper De Petten yowls over the top. He’s an especially dynamic presence as the record continues to twist and turn – on the barbed Respect The Hustle, for example, which he sounds like IDLES’ Joe Talbot swallowing nails. Elsewhere, the highlights roll in: the juddering Clear The Air descends into glassy melody before floating through a thick wall of hazy sound, the staccato riffing of Limelighter and the agile groove of Deliver The Liver are a brilliantly harsh pair of pulse raisers.
There’s still space for their own feelings to bite through, mind. No Sweat is a neck-breaking joyride of a track celebrating letting loose and rejecting the algorithm in the process, but other songs veer towards darker states of mind. Discodust leaves no room for ambiguity given its opening lines – ‘Addiction doesn’t discriminate / Addiction doesn’t give a fuck.’ Intriguingly, their words have the greatest impact when they break from their own noisy conventions into the bleak, greyscale balladry of Snuff, which brilliantly epitomises a feeling of weary loneliness as it climbs to a devastating climax.
Ultimately, RONKER have succeeded in slicing through the noise with something all of their own. Really, they’ve proved a point with their album title – you can’t help but respect their hustle.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: IDLES, Refused, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
Respect The Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever is released on January 30 via LABELMAN
