The hook on ONETWOTHREE is the band is comprised of three bassists. Which, actually, means there are a ton of hooks on this, their debut record.
And now that I’ve hooked you with unnecessary wordplay, I’ll get on with things. But, really, it was the unique arrangement that first intrigued me. The lineup consists of Klaudia Schifferle (Kleenex/LiLiPuT), Madlaina Peer (Noknows), and Sara Schär (TNT/Souldawn/The Kick), which is both an impressive resume and a sign of what’s on this record.
The band uses that triple bass along with drum patterns and synths. It’s minimal and hypnotic, with lyrics that are playful and remind me of Japanese absurdism, although these musicians live halfway around the globe. The vocals vary between list-style delivery, call-and-response, and sound effects, often serving more of an instrumental role instead of melodic. Sometimes they deliver a knock on consumerism and things we (think we need to) buy. Sometimes it’s a cat call on a loop.
Sometimes it’s a little more traditional, as in the opening track, “Perfect Illusions,” which is groovy at its base and punchy with the up-front vocals. Then it gets more dance-laden in the next song, “Give Paw,” which fits nicely in that 21st century party punk Riot Grrl style. There’s meaning here, but the vibes are fun instead of preachy. The lyrics are probably most memorable in two list-driven songs, “Buy Buy” and “Things.” It would do more justice to listen to the songs, because no except will capture its flow, but “Things” is, well, about things. It’s vague and random and hilarious and fun, opening with the snippet “Tough things, hard things, forbidden, shrinking, bursting things/ Bumpy things, sucky things, chunky, fizzy, lucky things,” and continuing in this manner for 6-minutes in a way that’s neither predictable nor annoying.
ONETWOTHREE takes the bass hook concept and really builds on it. The grooves are layered three-deep, which lulls you in, then the synth and beats give some wiggle. Ultimately the personality flourishes in all those instruments: a bell here and there, or sudden beat change, and of course the vocals, which are more pattern-driven that your standard pop song. It’s tonal but upbeat. It takes the deconstructive concept of post-punk, but instills it with life. While post-punk focuses on the angular, factory-like monotony on the ground floor, ONETWOTHREE are throwing an underground disco party.
My biggest knock is that, due to the minimalism, it all kind of blurs together. And that’s more an observation than a complaint, really. It’s a really good record, but more of a mood record than something you put on for that killer single in the middle.
I listen to a lot of short, fast and (let’s be honest) derivative punk. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a real album, something that’s stronger as a whole than cut into individual pieces. On the surface ONETWOTHREE seems like a gimmick, but it backs up its unique structure with really strong songs that don’t overthink it. If you like grooves and rhythms and experimentation – and, you know, the bass guitar – this one is a keeper.
Out digitally Friday Oct. 15, with vinyl delayed until Nov. 5.
