Vapid
Practically Dead (Nominal/Deranged)

You can tell that Vapid is all about juxtaposition. Judging by the cover art of Practically Dead—a grainy shot of a lovely-looking glam girl with her head flopped into the nastiest toilet bowl this side of the seventh level of hell—it looks like the group gets a kick out of pairing the sweet with the sick. Listening to the punky songs on its latest long-player makes this even clearer.

Opener “Choke” specializes in fuzzed-out bubblegum hooks and cutesy-poo vocal harmonies, but the track also finds singer Katie Doyle jamming her digits down her throat in disgust before calling someone a “cunt-hole bitch”.

Despite its penchant for pop, Vapid isn’t afraid to get all-out nasty. “Bruises” tips its hat to early ’80s hardcore with Doyle’s shouted mantra of “I like to party!” and its slam-dance-inducing speediness. Elsewhere, the altogether ooky garage rocker “MRSA” suggests that these locals have spent at least a couple of nights in a London dungeon.

“Do the Earthquake” brings the band back to its gnarly blend of dainty and demented. Sped up significantly from the version found on the seven-inch of the same title, the newly gnarled-up sock hop blitzes by in a wash of atomic-bomb white noise, frantic drumming, and Doyle’s directions to shimmy and shake. It might still be poppy, but its cacophonous finale isn’t exactly pretty. It’s just how Vapid likes it.

Download This: “MRSA”