Danish four-piece Iceage combine Wire-esque post-punk with the looseness of noise rock and the detached angst of hardcore, managing to avoid the banality of the latter genre with a kind of implied futility in their ferocity and a total lack of macho posturing.

The resultant sound comes off like weaponized melancholia. You're Nothing is the kind of record that makes you wanna throw your pasty intoxicated body against a brick wall like a blunt object until something breaks. 'Flaccid-aggressive' is the best term for it. Don't steal that.

The fantastic guitar melodies and tasteful tempo changes of standout track 'In Haze', the droning panic attack of 'Ecstasy', the militaristic 'Interlude' and relatively ballad-like 'Morals' demonstrate some of the intracies and curveballs that Iceage employ. Still, beneath the scuzz and weight of You're Nothing's acerbic aesthetic are a lot of conventional pop punk songs disguised as something more confrontational. Its innovations are mostly surface level, but that doesn't matter so much since on the basis of pure songwriting this record is executed with consistent excellence.

Think of this album as a near-perfect update on the archetype of the brooding adolescent, with a few interesting adulterants in the mix, and more importantly, a lot of good songs.

 

Best Tracks: Ecstasy, Burning Hand, In Haze, You're Nothing

 

Lyrics: 8/10

Sound: 9/10

Creativity: 9/10

Tilt: 9/10

Overall: 9/10