Electricity. That’s the first thing you get from Modernism. Ten tracks, barely twenty minutes, and there’s no chance you’re sitting still through it. New England art-punk/garage rock trio Perennial sound like they’ve grabbed their whole record collection, all their weird little obsessions and every ounce of energy they’ve got, then crammed the lot into one short, intense blast that barely gives you time to catch your breath.
There’s a lot of 60s garage and proto-punk running through Modernism, that much is obvious, but Perennial drag it somewhere much more current and give it one hell of a punch. You can hear The Who, MC5, The Kinks, The Monks… those short, basic riffs, the organ, the R&B, that love for the mod sound of the era. But then Perennial get their hands on the formula and rough it up. The guitars are thick, fuzzed-out and mean; the drums keep the tension high the whole way through; the organ carries serious weight; and when the soul creeps in, like on “What’s New On The Beat Scene” or “Ready! Steady! Go!”, it comes with the rawness and nervous energy of bands like The Dirtbombs or The BellRays. Garage punk, power pop, noise, psychedelia, hard rock, high-energy rock ’n’ roll… somehow it all feels completely natural.
“Modernism” lands like a total wallop, “Perennial ’65” runs on a riff so short and basic it’s almost primitive, “Granny Smith Apple” gets repetitive and minimal, while “The Shadow” and “Me and the Magpie” get an extra kick from the contrast between tighter verses and choruses that are almost shouted. And that’s pretty much how the whole record works: it tightens up, shifts, kicks off again, all without warning.
The lyrics don’t get precious about the past either. Everything gets thrown in: modernism, abstraction, jazz, Wallace Stevens, Whitman, Kerouac, Tennyson, Emerson. Then suddenly you’ve got Emma Peel, Grace Kelly, Paris Match, the Cheshire Cat, “Blue Jay Way”. Haunted houses, spies, telephones, magnetic tape, umbrellas, colours, Halloween nights… it’s all in there.
It’s pure pop collage. One minute you’re in a 60s spy film, the next you’re wandering through some weird modern art show, then suddenly it feels like a completely ridiculous conversation you’ve overheard in a basement at 3am. And, for me, that’s one of the things that makes the record work so well: Perennial grab this massive pile of references, mess around with them and build their own strange, colourful, ridiculously fun little world.
That’s what makes Modernism stand out. Perennial aren’t just recreating garage, mod or soul, they’re electrifying it. They make it physical, urgent, completely of the moment. There are ideas everywhere, but the record never forgets that you’re supposed to move your feet. And when “Emma Peel” cuts out, twenty minutes after the whole thing started, you’re not exhausted. You just want to stick it straight back on.
And one thing feels pretty obvious: these songs are going to hit even harder live. If the record already sounds like it was made with the amps throwing off sparks, watching Perennial tear through Modernism on stage has all the makings of one of those shows where you walk out absolutely drenched in sweat.
Ready for the blast?
Modernism is streaming in full on Bandcamp
Live dates:
08 Oct – Oxford – The Library
09 Oct – Brighton – TBC
10 Oct – Liverpool – Outpost
11 Oct – Leeds – Grindhouse
13 Oct – Nottingham – JT Soar
14 Oct – Coventry – Just Dropped In
15 Oct – Manchester – The Modernist Gallery Shop
16 Oct – London – The Cavendish Arms