What’s the difference between overabundance and starvation? Between drowning and dehydration? Between far too much and not enough? What’s the difference, then, between everyone else and Night Court?
A lo-fi punk trio out of Vancouver, Night Court released their third album, Humans!, June 9th on Snappy Little Numbers and Debt Offensive Records. While their sound may have slightly changed since their last release, their ethos has not. Night Court pride themselves on to-the-point songs; they trim the fat and leave the listener with lean, pithy tracks. From day one the group set out to only include ‘the good bits’ in their music. In our recent interview with the band, Dave-O said, “once I feel the ‘right’ combination in my skin and bones, I know we’ve found a good bit! But I think [it’s] as much about when to show restraint as it is about quality”. The real question then is: will short and sweet be enough to satisfy?
Side A opens the album with “What’s It Like To Be A Bat, Man?”. Fifteen seconds in and you already have Night Court exactly where you want them. Crunchy riffs, building tension and an inescapable melody bellow through the track. In true punk fashion it slams to a stop sooner than you want.
Good thing there’s fifteen more.
“Clearcut” sounds like a pub night sing-along with all your best friends after a few too many pints. Its loose structure is held together by a sharp guitar riff and warm vocals. Back to back tracks “Ladder Ambition” and “Fuck Art School” play like an undergroud alternative manifesto complete with stuttering static and lilting vocals. “Chokehold Vs. Karate Kicks” ushers in a new sound with twinkling electronic noise at the helm. Ripped right out of punk’s glory days is “Dead Tomorrow”. Opening with the band’s chatter it quickly explodes into a sludgy, squealing masterpiece. “Garage Full of Secrets” is best case scenario indie rock. The vocals push their way to the front and show off the band’s range. A longer track than usual, “Garage” warrants its length with an infectious melody that’s still rattling around my head. Side A closer, “Predator”, screeches in with the loudest introduction so far. It rattles into a pleasantly disjointed dirge, punctuated with crashing drums and rumbling bass.
We’re halfway through and yeah, supply is meeting demand. I’m getting, you’re getting, the fans are getting exactly what we want from this album. Humans! could very well stop here and I would say it was fleshed out enough to deserve a standing ovation. Turns out, writing only good songs is working out for the group, hopefully other bands start following suit.
Thankfully for us, Night Court continues with the first track of Side B. “Unicorn” sounds like a pop song that went through a blender- choppy, catchy and quaking with fuzzed out melodies. “Robot Brain” laces sneering vocals with Emilor’s punchy drums that ring through the track like a marching band who listened to a bit too much Dinosaur Jr.. It’s delightful- honestly. Viciously melodic, “The Same”, sounds like a jam from The Favourites; group harmonies fall over crunchy guitars and snappy drums. Single “Out Of Control” calls to mind previously released Night Court track “Fractions” by way of irresistible melody and carefree vocals. “Outta Sight” and “Zero Or Hero?” remind you of the band’s sharper side. Closing track “SOS” doesn’t feel rushed. Night Court expertly built up a landscape of fuzz, distortion and breezy harmonies over the course of the album and “SOS” nestles right in like a punch to the gut. Wonderfully moshable (yes, that’s a word now) the track gleams with distorted guitars and heavy drums.
Night Court is equal parts angry surf rock meets lo-fi punk meets indie darling. Humans! is enough to satiate any appetite. This long awaited follow up to the Nervous Birds duology more than exceeds expectations. It hits hard but knows when to draw back. It’s a crash course in lo-fi punk perfection that preaches without pretension and sure as hell never gets boring.
