Mr. Godson – 2nd 7”

Mr. Godson will be the last one to survive, or shorter Mr. Godson is a punk rock quartet originating from Limoges, France. Since their formation in 2010, the group nurtures a characteristic evasive blend of appealing melodies and abrasively rough sound. Their discography spans over numerous recordings, including a debut self-titled demo, a single Press Start Button that appeared at V/A – Tribute 80s & 90s Video Games, self-titled 7”, You’d Better Run 10”, and a split release with Rock’n’Roll Television. This year, Mr. Godson treated us with another self-titled 7” record that serves as a proper continuation of their previous recordings.

This particular recording offers four compelling punk rock numbers decorated by interesting names like Fool & Happy, Couple In My Head, What Did You Do, and Joy’s Rage. This material includes brand new compositions except for Joy’s Rage, which previously appeared at their split release with Rock’n’Roll Television. This version represents a hip-hop remix of the original number. Mr. Godson levitates between classic anthemic melodic punk rock movements and a slightly crude approach to exact sound, characteristic for old school hardcore punk music. However, the band also includes a layer of beautiful melodies over these orchestrations, so there are some polyphonic themes, characteristic for contemporary music included over the top. These combinations are creating such a specific atmosphere throughout the entire material that certainly enhances the overall listening experience.

The entire group performs in a non-pretentious manner, mainly focusing on four-chord progressions delivered by rhythm guitar. The lead guitar liberates the beforementioned polyphonous articulations, comprised of delicate harmonics, arpeggiated melodies, and other acrobatics that are remaining memorable for a long period. The semi-distorted sound of the bass guitar supports these guitar maneuvers from beneath through thoughtfully arranged basslines. Nothing would sound so compact without a detailed drumming performance that keeps these orchestrations in line. The overall performance of the group is passionate, confident, sincere, and profoundly dynamic. Their explorations into the essentials of melodic punk rock and the ability to reconstruct these fundamentals of the genre into something completely new are advancing beyond comprehension. The hip-hop remix of Joy’s Rage by Kosh applies to the atmosphere of this material and arrives as a bit of refreshment after these banging punk rock tunes.

This brand new 7” by Mr. Godson entirely proves that you should dig a little deeper into the French underground punk rock scene and discover a vast universe comprised of brilliant music. This material comes with marvelous artwork that depicts a character with a motorbike helmet sitting on the petrol canister. The character has a barb-wired baseball bat leaning beside him, but he’s holding a lighter in his hands. Perhaps he’s covered in gasoline and intending to set himself on fire. Whatever may be the case, this record shines in all its beauty and certainly deserves your attention. Head over to their Bandcamp page and grab this 7” for yourself or your loved ones.