grubbing – clean | EP Review

It’s weird, it’s obtuse and it’s expresses more ideas than most bands ever will; outlandish Bristol trio grubbing establish themselves with their brilliant and bizarre first EP.

The first offering from the weirdo art-rock trio grubbing (FKA Big Pigeon), clean really isn’t what it says on the tin. After all, with a name like that one would anticipate something sanitized, sterile – something safe for anyone and everyone. But this really isn’t that. Wearing it’s bestowed weirdo-punk badge proudly, this EP is violin-marred absurdity unshackled from the restrictive genre norms that has long plagued contemporary music. It’s surrealist and intentionally obtuse, but dispute it being only two tracks that span seven minutes in total, there’s more ideas on display here than a large portion of acts will exercise in their entire careers.

Opener ‘I’m Clean’ pretty much establishes the ideology and methodology of grubbing within it’s first 60 seconds. Across the opening gambit, viola scream like their being subjected to the torture rack, hefty bass riffs coil and spasm, drums are beaten to an inch of their life and the disjointed vocals jabber like they’ve just discovered that the rent for their Bristol flat is going up for the third month running. Overall, it’s quite a lot in all honesty; there’s elements of post punk and acid jazz composure, but this is far more post than punk, a lot more acidic than what one would commonly perceive as jazz. But it’s authentic. It’s legitimately interesting and as authentically absurdist as modern living.

‘Mr Potts’ is the respite, and in conjunction with it’s proceeding track, embodies the early grubbing experience. A more restrained endeavour that intentionally feels like a folk track for a steel dystopian age, the track resonates thet sardonic venom and uneasy delivery that’s reminiscent of dearly missed Bristol oddballs Twisted Ankle – something which isn’t surprising given how two of the members are involved in this new project. But with it’s unease, volatile approach and just general feeling of uncanniness, the track perfectly compliments it’s predecessor, fleshes out this act’s bizarre approach and overall solidifies grubbing as a band most promising.

This EP, despite only being less than 10 minutes long in total, is going to be too much for most fans of guitar orientated music. But such is is the reason to be excited by and celebrate clean. There may be motifs of other acts floating in here – such as Snõõper and the aforementioned Twisted Ankle – but this is the sound of a band inspired and forgoing norms in the pursuit of something truly genuine. It’s bizarre, surrealist, purposefully obtuse and borderline challenging, but this EP is easily one of the most promising art-rock debuts the scene has witnessed this year.