Album Review: Sainthood Reps - Monoculture

For every kid born in the 90s, rejoice! Grunge is not quite dead yet. However, Tamagotchis still thankfully remain buried forever in the depths of time. As title track "Monoculture" stampedes against both ears, riding on a wave of distortion and crashing cymbals, it's clear that Sainthood Reps bring forth a clarified definition of grunge, back to the good ol' days. "DINGUS" gives off a gauzy guitar riff paired up alongside vocalist Francesco Montesanto's vague lyricism, proclaiming in the bridge, "No one's underneath the world / I lift the planet on my shoulders" before the onslaught of the chorus where he heralds "Wait, who do you think you are?".

Despite Sainthood Reps' relentless energy in a large portion of their output, the counteracted quiet in tracks such as the unexpected ballad, "Hunter" and the overwhelming build up of "reactor...", showcase an unexpected change of dynamic for the band, offering to us a calmer side to Sainthood Reps. Grown out of a shared love of music, "Monoculture" marries the grunge aesthetic of albums like "In Utero" and "Daisy" with insightful lyrics reflecting on every day life in the USA (Monoculture being a word guitarist, Derrick Sherman, derived from a farming technique called "mono-cropping"). "Monoculture" is a cohesive album made out of pure love for the genre, there is a rawness and pure angst heard consecutively in each track. The grunge formula is laced throughout and you know what they say: 'If it ain't broke, why fix it?'

4/5

George Gadd

'Monoculture' is out August 9th on Tooth and Nail Records.