Post-Punk is a genre defined by its many influences and ambiguous interpretations. If you ask someone how they define post-punk, your answers will likely range far and wide. Is post-punk defined by a specific sound or influence, or maybe it’s all about intent? If you ask me, it’s a healthy mix of all three, but I’ll leave you to decide what post-punk really is.
Total Pain – BRNDA:
BRNDA, the D.C. based art-punk band, has released its long-awaited album, Total Pain. Blending the melodic catchiness of indie-pop with the avant-garde feel of post-punk to create a sound unique to them. The opening track, “Peach Pit,” is a perfect example of this, meshing the prominent, rhythmically complex drumming, synonymous with post-punk, with the catchy guitar tunes popular in indie pop. Staying true to their art-punk roots, BRNDA covers themes of alienation and the struggle to fit in while referencing literary works to further these ideas. On this track, BRNDA nods to the play Fences by August Wilson to symbolize her battle between her dreams vs. reality. As you near the end of the song, she sings, “and again and again and again and again and you’re really not making any new friends and you spend and you spend and pretend and pretend that they care that you’re reading August Wilson’s Fences,” which contrasts her dream of having caring friends with her reality of being alone.
While some sections of Total Pain follow a variety of pop influences, there are instances, such as “Everyone Chicago” and “A Little Balloon,” that lean further into an art or post-punk sound. On “Everyone Chicago,” you can hear the clear new wave influence, with the very familiar, wave-like time signature that defines the genre. In contrast, “A Little Balloon” takes their sound in a folkier direction, softening the edges while still conveying their jagged, artsy sound. Even though they have contrasting approaches, they end up coming together through the light, almost angular sounding flute.
In the end, is Total Pain a post-punk record? It doesn’t sound like or have the same flashy technical skills you see in modern post-punk. Although that may be true, they draw clear inspiration from the titans who made the genre what it is today. From the wavy, make you wanna dance, feel of new-wave groups like The Talking Heads and The Cars, to the moody and atmospheric identity of major post-punk bands like Joy Division or Slint. In the end, BRNDA doesn’t fit neatly into the post-punk box, but that’s what makes Total Pain such a refreshing listen. They show that it’s less about revival and more about reinterpretation, a record that carries the echoes of its influences while speaking its own unique language.
Cover Art by Maddie Gage
Author
Hi,
My name is Z Marik, and I am the Digital Media Director at WVUA-FM. I am a Junior, majoring in Operations Management with a minor in Supply Chain Management. My favorite album is 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields.
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