Last year I discovered Nobro through their EP Live Your Truth, Shred Some Gnar. I cheated a bit and included this EP on my (albums only) yearlist. I still return to that EP (and the one before that) often. So you can imagine, my expectations were sky high. And that made me afraid: was I expecting too much from this young band? Writing an excellent EP is something different from writing an excellent album. So how does Nobro do on Set Your Pussy Free?
Before we go into that I think this title deserves some explanation, because I can imagine it is a title that will raise some eyebrows. Apparently the band was playing in the States right when the Supreme Court overturned the right to access to abortion. This led to toasting against that decision: “This next song is dedicated to setting our vaginas free!”. That stuck around and is just the type of protest that I like.
Having that out of the way it’s time to look into the album. In my review of their last EP I said they play punky power pop and that holds true. I also said that once that EP really started it was a party that pops into your living room. And that party vibe, which I enjoyed so much, is still very much alive. It doesn’t matter if this band sings to protest decisions made by the Supreme Court (the title track), about wild nights while being older than you want to admit (“Let’s Do Drugs”) or finding companionship within the band (“Where My Girls At” and “Gimme More (Party Through The Pain)”), there is a certain riotous energy that is is out there and will slap you in the face if needed to keep that adrenaline pumping.
The promo talks about the band experimenting a bit more and that shows. For example “I Don’t Fucking Feel Like It” includes a vibe that sounds a bit like Nada Surfs “Popular”, something I would not have expected on earlier work. What I did expect are the extremely cool extra percussion that give Nobro that little extra push to set them apart from their contemporaries. Another thing that sounds more experimental is one riff in “Nobody Knows” which sounds as if it was written after listening to Black Sabbaths “Iron Man” on repeat for a day. The song takes a completely different turn and also includes awesome percussion parts.
Before you start to think this is a very experimental album, don’t worry. The band stuck with what they do best: write incredibly catchy high energy songs with hooks for days. Best examples are “Where My Girls At?” (which is the lead single for a reason), album closer “Gimme More (Party Through The Pain)” and “I Don’t Want To Be On The Internet”. This last tune must be one of my favorite tracks of the album. It is one of those songs that you just have to dance to. And when I do that I can completely understand the band: I don’t want anyone to see me dancing on the internet.
Unfortunately not every song reaches the same heights. “Cash In On My Cachet” is a bit of a dud on an otherwise stellar album. It lacks the energy the other tracks do have. The album would have been a tiny bit better had it been excluded and used for a b-side perhaps.
The production by Dave Schiffman (whom you might know from his work with PUP, Rage Against The Machine) is spot on and gives enough breathing room for all instruments. The decision to record with all four members on the studio floor playing at the same time the album has a certain live vibe that I imagine most bands look for when recording an album.
I have had the privilege of listening to this album for about two months now and it has lived in my head rent free since the first time spinning it. I was a bit anxious when first pushing play, because I was afraid I expected too much. I shouldn’t have been, Set Your Pussy Free lived up to my expectations and I can already conclude it is ending up in my yearlist.
