Ever since the release of their debut, We Found This, Gloin’s heavy-noise punk sound has been following me, sometimes kicking in my door during “The Maw,” or “Dark Moto” or attempting to offer solace on “OCT.” Like anyone on this spinning rock, I’ll have good days and bad days. And whenever I have bad days, bands like Gloin are there in the moment, screaming through a wall of self-deprecating distortion and pandemonium. I play Gloin when things are a bit strange—and things have been consistently strange. I spun We Found This in its entirety the night David Lynch passed.
Sometimes, you just want to smash through a brick wall and release all the anger in a burst of dislodged emotion, like an old wound–there’s something quite therapeutic about this—and bands like Gloin know it. So this new batch of songs, with its loaded and very relatable title, All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry), a phrase that I swear Dr. Melfi says to Tony Soprano at one time or another, feels like a complete kick in the throat—a welcomed one. We’re all seen.
Let’s dive in. I was prepared for some relentless sonic chaos with All of your anger…, but was somewhat taken back by the industrial, Skinny puppy-esque (808s and thick synth) open to “20 Bucks.” Gloin is all about the build and the song quickly explodes, with paired lead vocals from (guitarist) John and (bassist) Vic, into a noisy wed anthem about artistic theft and working for nothing—crippling realities musicians from Toronto know too well. “Bucket of Blood” feels like the moment your body is about to give and fall over, confusing and contorting, like a ballerina who consumes too much wine in the alley. “Missed Call,” isn’t a song, but a little moment of praise from fans, and while cute, it takes you out of the frenzy too early. I would’ve popped this on later in the album. Just me.
“controlfreak69,” (both the Anglo and French versions) immediately summons that feeling of anger I was referring to earlier. John’s reverbed yelling is just what the doctor ordered, but I have no idea what the hushed backing, almost Disturbed-type vocals are chanting after the first chorus. This aspect is one that I love about Gloin; surreal moments of instrumentation where it’s hard to decipher what is actually happening. Is it synth work from Richard or crash tom madness from drummer, Simon?
“The Treatment” is probably the most outright in terms of psychological dealings, with Vic and John chanting about all of their inner demons as some swampy in-the-red punk breaks out into the dawn. “Horse Fighting” continues this nihilistic self-carnage as a wall of paranoia; crashy drums, motorik bass lines, and buzzing guitars devour each other. “A Body in the Outdoors” is probably the closest we will get to an indie pop sound from Gloin, but damn, do I love those minor arpeggios.
“Swamp” feels more like the darkened yet groovy gloom Gloin we got of We Found This, and it made me want to revisit it all over again. All of your anger… has another moment of reprieve, like “Missed Call,” with “Sent from my iPhone,” a synth-pop 30-question backing song. Vic sounds like she’s reading from a questionnaire, and the interlude-y gimmick gets a bit stale, but it’s the “happiest” sounding song on All of your anger…
Though I don’t want to be happy, I want my dark, cathartic release. Enter “Salamander,” and “Big Boss,” which at times sound like utter hell. We Found This, is a substantial album to follow-up, but with All of your anger… I’m still in Gloin’s pit, which is quickly expanding.
