When you name your style of music “gunk-pop,” it has to be good. But Black Ends don’t disappoint. While genre revivalism is a dime-a-dozen these days, the Seattle band has the cred and bonafides to give grunge the shot in the arm it’s needed since the days Creed and Nickelback were topping the charts. Psychotic Spew is a genuine achievement for a style that’s been frozen in the ‘90s, led by Nicolle Swims’s addicting laconic drawl and the arresting rhythm section of Ben Swanson and Billie Jessica Paine.

Props also have to go to Don Farwell and Cameron Frank for the mixing and mastering, respectively. One of the problems of rock records nowadays is how glossy and overproduced they sound, and this issue never comes up on Psychotic Spew. The instrumentals are appropriately grimy, espousing the “gunk-pop” identity inside and out, while never losing melody or catchiness. “Pretend 2 Be (Protect Me)” pinpoints this sweet spot, guitars oozing akin to the best tracks from L7 or the Toadies.

Labels pleading for the new Nirvana were early by 30 years as Black Ends are the rare band that sounds like the Seattle legends in a perfectly synthesized way. “Pour Me” and “My Own Dead” recall Bleach, particularly “About A Girl,” with precision, bursts of unbridled passion in the midst of the classic slacker-rock motifs. Rather than Kurt Cobain, Swims’s voice evokes No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani without the preppy ska-girl cheer.

For how macabre the album title is, Psychotic Spew has serious crossover potential. It’s a tight record with no filler, a true ’90s throwback in how it eschews “vibes” or “aura” in favor of pure, unfiltered hooks, meant for radio. It’s been a hot minute since Seattle had a flagship band to call their own, and with Black Ends, they just might have one.

By Eli Schoop · October 14, 2024 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.