Death Grips - Year of the Snitch Review

Straight from the mouth of the tangentially related, but slightly more authoritative contributor of this blog is the first of (hopefully) many non-metal reviews and content in general. 

Death Grips have always held a special place in the hearts of many a metalhead, as their blend of experimental hip-hop, noise rock, pop sensibilities and overall avant-garde-ness strike a chord with many of the things metal fans value in music. Their popularity too is striking for a group that musically treads so far off the beaten path and in the span of just 7 years the trio of Zach Hill, MC Ride and Flatlander have become the normie scapegoat for "weird music." This is most certainly a testament to the trios ableness to market themselves through a variety of uncanny internet methods, but also a result of their songcraft and ability to make "sheer bops" out of unique beats.

On Year of the Snitch, the group's sixth studio full length, Death Grips finds a way to make their now familiar palette of gimmicks sound refreshingly harsh again. Across 13 tracks and just over 37 minutes of run time, this newest album offers a succinct package of "out there" music that despite its lack of choruses will most certainly remain a favorite for experimental pick of the year by many music fans.

Album opener "Death Grips is Online" serves up a fresh helping of some era nostalgia with its off-kilter synth melody and distinct drum timbre, while the interplay between the its main passages keep the tune engaging enough a listen. The addition of some classic Death Grips anti-statements like the track's refrain of "Punks get nailed all in the daytime and I got good friends who love to headline with a..." that segue into even more bizarre verses that Ride seems to melt into makes this track inexplicably Grips and it works as a mighty fine introduction to the work.

The next track "Flies" offers a sonic landscape straight out of "No Love Deep Web" complete with a sparse synth line, monotone verse delivery and lyrics wrought with nihilism. The conceit of the track revealed in the chorus of Stefan (MC Ride's actual name) literally wanting death and for flies to feast on his unmoving corpse is quite \m/. These first two tracks also set the mood for how Death Grips handles hooks in Year of the Snitch, with structure being more of an afterthought as hooks waver in and out of the sonic texture, never being too explicit in their intention, but through some wizardry allowing themselves to emerge as ear worms in the listener's head. Even 6 lps in, it really is astounding how the group can create memorable hooks out of seemingly nothing. As "Flies" winds to a close, samples of the trio's past work, namely "I've Seen Footage" and "System Blower" bubble up and the shouts of "ONE TWO THREE FOUR" transition nicely into...

"Black Paint" is one of the best rock songs of 2018. Immediately the central bass chug of the song, accented by Hill's ever angular drumming hits and does so in a hard fashion. By the time Ride's heavily chorused and whacked out vocals drop, with each line leading to the singular chant of "black, black paint" the listener is (probably) sucked into this monster of a track. Everything from the eerie key swells to the feedback-laden guitar solo truly work in this composition and "Black Paint" manages to convey a broad range of positive and negative emotions that give it a sense of immediacy. Hell, even Will Toledo and the gang over at Car Seat Headrest liked it enough to cover it. To put it simply, Death Grips have managed to craft quite the experimental kraut rock/hip hop banger of all time and it definitely stands out on the album and in their discography as a whole.

Following cuts "Linda's in Custody" and "the Horn Section" function more as transitional mood pieces than bonafide songs. The former employs yet another off putting synth line with cryptic lyrics and samples while the later is simply a Zach Hill drum solo with some reverbed layers on top to give the piece a more ethereal feel. Both songs are fine additions and help the flow of the album, but offer little outside of this context.

"Hahaha" is another actual track, this one distinguishes itself from the pack by being quite spacious in nature, and by drawing the majority of its beat from previous Death Grips songs, as well as referencing them in the chorus. The shuffled feel of Hill's beat in this instance works in tandem with the ethereal keys and loops as the song weaves in and out of the structure in typical fashion. The song's refrain will no doubt provide yet another catchphrase for fans of the band to spout in memetic fashion.

"Shitshow" brings an almost noisecore feel to its 1:45 of certifiable weirdness, while the first single "Streaky" provides the most straightforward pop rap track on the album. "Dilemma" remains a notable piece after repeated listens for the notable inclusion of Shrek director Andrew Adamson, who delivers a seemingly pointless bit of spoken word before giving way to a classic vapor wave bit. This nostalgia bit of course ends and typical aural cacophony ensues, complete with a horn samples and another kraut rock chorus. The way "Dilemma" bounces between these rather unconnected sections is pulled off quite well and provides a rather engaging listen. 

"Little Richard" is another passing track, this time featuring an echoed solo guitar, oddly programmed drum beats and an intentionally dorky mechanized "wub." Following the song "The Fear" is centered around an ascending and descending chromatic line as Ride shouts at the world his fear to die amongst other things. It is rather sparce in instrumentation in comparison to the other cuts, but still provides enough layers to get lost in and the cheesy synth effects contrast nicely against the subject matter of the tune.

The final two songs "Outro" and "Dissapointed" round off Year of the Snitch nicely. "Outro" is of course anything but, although the minute or so of noodling before entering the actual final cut is appreciated. "Dissapointed" is a fitting closer, providing a retort to the group's critics who would dare mock their musical actualization. The heavily pitch shifted repetition works well with the novel trick of shouting half a phrase and then speaking the other. The whole track gives off a sort of "manufactured" vibe that is recognizably different than the other listings present.

All and all, Year of the Snitch is certainly a worthwhile listen that sees Death Grips continue to innovate 7 years deep into their prolific career. The flow is broken up well through a series of bangers and transitionary pieces and the album has enough memorable twists and turns to warrant a full listen. The use of musical layers on this project in particular is rather adept, and each track utilizes a variety of noises in interesting ways to craft intriguing soundscapes for MC Ride's timeless nonsense to rest upon.

My only real gripe with the album is that not every track feels memorable. There are a fair amount of unsubstantial tracks that are indeed effective in the confides of the album, but offer little otherwise. This is far from a large issue, but it exists nonetheless.

As a longtime fan of the trio, I was certainly fulfilled with this latest offering and it is certainly a reasonable continuation of the signature Grips sound. The song "Black Paint" offers comforting proof that the boys from Sacramento are not past their prime and will hopefully continue to offer substantive works in experimental music for years to come.

Album Rating: SUBATOMIC PENETRATION RAPID FIRE THROUGH YOUR SKULL

- SG