Nashville-based rock band Snõõper is far from conventional. From its use of a large puppet called the “mosh-quito” at live shows to a self-made video game, the five-piece band has built a world as chaotic as its sound. Its newest album “Worldwide” demonstrates the unique vision it builds in and out of the studio. Now signed to Third Man Records and collaborating with a producer in a studio for the first time, Snõõper still keeps true to its unique sounds derived from the Nashville music scene.
“Worldwide” rips with pent-up energy and rowdy rhythms. The record opens with track “Opt Out,” wasting no time to wake up listeners with Cam Sarrett’s exhilarating drumming and Blair Tramel’s maximalist punk rock lyrics: “Reply ‘STOP’ to opt out / I know what you want to talk about” Tramel shouts. The track perfectly depicts an impulsive urge to neglect technology, setting up the rest of the album’s themes of dread, spontaneity and restlessness.
Snõõper keeps this same chaotic, jittery energy throughout the project. Though the track “On Line” is only 73 seconds long, Tramel’s screaming and adrenaline-filled guitar leaves listeners completely unable to predict what they will hear next. Similarly, “Company Car” overflows with sporadic drumming and intense guitar riffs. The band even covers The Beatles’ “Come Together” with an egg punk twist on the iconic tune. The fast-paced drums mixed with Tramel’s sped up vocals creates a driving rhythm that makes the song entirely its own.
The most rambunctious track on the album is “Pom Pom,” a satirical yet meaningful song about Tramel learning to give herself the same support she gives others. The song holds truth to the “cheerleader vocals” that the band has been described to have for years. “I’m cheerleader of the month / I even stood right up front / I’ll be on the team the whole year / Is there something you want to hear?” Tramel sings over a deep-toned, riotous guitar. She owns these claims by chanting like a cheerleader, giving the track an uplifting feel amid its wit.
Departing from the album’s other tracks, “Subdivision” starts relatively tame. Still, this song is the most dynamic one on the record. Towards the middle, the song builds an eerie atmosphere with haunting electronic sounds underneath the steady drum beat. It closes on ultimate chaos with amplified instruments and Tramel fully screaming. She sings about living in suburbia, and the suffocation that comes with that: “To avoid citation / You meet every expectation / Only know what to do / If they’re always watching you / Everybody knows each other / Live next door to big brother.”
“Worldwide” is a record entirely unique to Snõõper, proving the group to be one to watch in the growing punk scene. Its ability to harness high-RPM noise into compositions that feel meticulous and catchy is what elevates “Worldwide” beyond typical garage-punk fare. “Worldwide” is an album jam-packed with chaos, in the most satisfying way. It shows that being completely yourself is cool, even if that unleashes spontaneous and wild energy.
Contact Caia Cupolo at [email protected].