ĠENN are a band who have been on my radar for a while and to be honest I was a bit reluctant to review this EP. Not for reasons of not wanting to. But you know how lockdown and its warped alternate reality, has made a lot of us feel like we're no good at anything we do? You want to do something to the best of your ability and give it the credence it deserves, right?
Today their PR asked me when the article was going to go live? I listened again for probably the tenth time and it all just clicked!
I don't know why it's taken until now, but I also do. Sometimes we need to allow things to seep into our consciousness, to understand where they belong and what they mean to us.
ĠENN (if you didn't know) are 3/4 Maltese with 3 of their members hailing from the beautiful island in the Mediterranean. I'm biased as my partner is Maltese, but everything I've experienced that Malta has to offer so far, has been nothing short of spectacular. ĠENN's new EP Limnal is no different!
Starting with the incredibly alluring 'Feel', I've tried to come up with a metaphor and for me it feels like sirens basking in the sun on the rocks, are drawing me in with their music and there's not a thing I can do to break their magic. I am spellbound! The track has a real psychedellic, funky vibe to it which is a million miles from their debut album Titty Monster.
Their 2020 single 'Duda Dance' gave us a hint of the bands evolution, and Liminal it's certainly as travelled from their routes as the band are themselves (they now live in Brighton).
'Mackerel's Funky Mission' takes the funk down another notch. It's another stunner of track, about the process of leaving a place you've outgrown (that's the symbolism I drew from the song anyway).
If you've listened to the EP in order (you always should IMHO) you'll be used to ĠENN's signature sound by now.... but the penultimate song 'Just Another Sad Song' has a melancholy that's as equally beautiful as it is painful. Farugia's vocals on this track wouldn't be out of place on any Siouxsie and the Banshee's song. The emotion of the song is incredibly raw, the guitars lending the vocal even more resonance without ever drowning it out, and the soft drums acting like the heartbeat of the pain. Pain isn't all shouting and screaming; there's a real beauty in being able to articulate this amount of emotion through verse. It transcends to a place of real sorrow, but life is as much pain as it is pleasure. Prepare to be moved!
You can stream LIMINAL on all platforms from tomorrow - the vinyl bundles are pretty special too. I wouldn't hand around though!
‘LIMINAL’ TRACKLISTING:
Feel
Mackerel’s Funky Mission
23rd March
Catalyst
Just Another Sad Song
Falling Out
Summing this EP up in one word - jiksaħ
For fans of Sprints, Dry Cleaning, Kynsy, Miss Grit, Coach Party
ĠENN
Dreaminisfree always has and always will be free - If you're looking to collaborate then please email debbie@dreaminisfree.co.uk and I will get around to it. Eventually!