“Weirdo Rippers,” the latest album from No Age, debuts in a tidal wave of hype that could drown a weaker album in the heightened expectations. The album begs relevant and merited discussions about the overwhelming influence of guitar orchestra composer and New York underground legend Glenn Branca, no-wave’s noisy influence on the post-punk music world, the impressive and consistent Fat Cat Records catalogue, or why DIY bands and labels are increasingly important in today’s music industry. But for a casual reader’s interest, No Age deserves a proper introduction.
Dean Sprunt and Randy Randall formed No Age as a change of direction from their hardcore-meets-pop group Wives. The duo produces a delicately textured, fuzzy noise that links each song together as catchy guitar hooks, punchy drum beats and deliberately affected vocals emerge from the cozy blanket of sound. When their white noise approaches its most abrasive moments, an emergent melody counters it with still catchier guitar riffs. Their EPs’ elaborate cover art, raucous stints at the Smell, and Sprunt’s label PPM! Records rings No Age synonymous with LA’s skate/art/punk/DIY scene. “Weirdo Rippers” successfully amalgamates New York noise with a West Coast punk tradition providing a static-driven, feed-back looping, surf-psych, rock n’ roll album that will haunt your ears from the first note to the last.
Brian Cassidy is an English senior and a music director for KCPR, San Luis Obispo, 91.3 FM.