Rocker (feedbot)
Platinum Member
Mental health problems are confusing. The sorrow can be consuming. Maybe voices are vying for your attention, they don’t seem to agree. Anger and sadness snake between each other. Perhaps there’s a spark fizzling and crackling. Perhaps something feels wrong, like your body doesn’t quite fit properly. A wave of a deep, inescapable grief can leave you crying quietly. This is ‘SADWORLD’.
Let’s change tack a moment. Let’s talk about WREX. Their history is a little complicated, but basically they’re a punk rock duo. Singer Mae Seaton and vocalist/guitarist George Donoghue released their first proper EP ‘This Hell Goes A Long Way Down’ in 2024. Since then they’ve been establishing themselves as an uncompromising live band ready for their second act. Their core sound is punk rock mixed with metal riffs and loops. The two vocalists trade parts. You could compare them to The Subways but the closest comparison is probably Hot Milk but with a 90’s aesthetic, and it’s that which defines them; the choice of melodies, the dirty sound, drum loops that feel so analogue. It’s lo-fi and honest. Embracing those rough edges gives their music texture at odds to many modern records. It’s neither smoothed or blended, and is pleasantly gritty.
WREX are unafraid to use their voices in interesting ways. Alongside singing there is spoken word on ‘111’, rapped verses on ‘Paranoia’ and slightly weird melodies on ‘Consume’. In fact, the EP’s most striking feature is the way the two vocalists work around each other – not with each other. Rather than taking turns, it’s like a rowdy crowd trying to squeeze past each other to be heard. It gives the songs crackly energy and an air of unpredictably.
The EP’s artwork, a black, stark square with the name imposed in white is a huge contrast to that of their debut. It’s darker, austere and very clear about its contents. Each song echoes this. Each is actively trying something different. ‘Paranoia’ is laced with riffs and harmonic guitar squeals. ‘Consume’ is based on swaggering nu-metal and a strange mid-section. ‘111’ makes a big deal of lasting one minute and eleven seconds and uses this time to build momentum. However, it’s not a traditional “short song” and its end is abrupt and unnatural. Similarly, the excellent piano ballad ‘A Thousand Ways’ surrenders itself to a drum loop and then, just stops. It’s intentionally jarring, and creates the same effect. Combined with the strong mental health theme and the fourth track literally being called ‘The Noose’, it becomes a clear, intentional statement. However, it also means 40% of the songs are cut short. It’s an artistic compromise that draws attention from the frankly excellent songwriting elsewhere.
As we said at the beginning, mental health problems can be a mixture of conflicting emotions, discordant voices, the downbeat and uplifting struggling with each other. They can be a mix of explosive energy and abrupt endings. WREX have distilled this into their new EP. ‘SADWORLD’ is a stunning piece of art but only a taste of what they’re capable of.
IAN KENWORTHY
Let’s change tack a moment. Let’s talk about WREX. Their history is a little complicated, but basically they’re a punk rock duo. Singer Mae Seaton and vocalist/guitarist George Donoghue released their first proper EP ‘This Hell Goes A Long Way Down’ in 2024. Since then they’ve been establishing themselves as an uncompromising live band ready for their second act. Their core sound is punk rock mixed with metal riffs and loops. The two vocalists trade parts. You could compare them to The Subways but the closest comparison is probably Hot Milk but with a 90’s aesthetic, and it’s that which defines them; the choice of melodies, the dirty sound, drum loops that feel so analogue. It’s lo-fi and honest. Embracing those rough edges gives their music texture at odds to many modern records. It’s neither smoothed or blended, and is pleasantly gritty.
WREX are unafraid to use their voices in interesting ways. Alongside singing there is spoken word on ‘111’, rapped verses on ‘Paranoia’ and slightly weird melodies on ‘Consume’. In fact, the EP’s most striking feature is the way the two vocalists work around each other – not with each other. Rather than taking turns, it’s like a rowdy crowd trying to squeeze past each other to be heard. It gives the songs crackly energy and an air of unpredictably.
The EP’s artwork, a black, stark square with the name imposed in white is a huge contrast to that of their debut. It’s darker, austere and very clear about its contents. Each song echoes this. Each is actively trying something different. ‘Paranoia’ is laced with riffs and harmonic guitar squeals. ‘Consume’ is based on swaggering nu-metal and a strange mid-section. ‘111’ makes a big deal of lasting one minute and eleven seconds and uses this time to build momentum. However, it’s not a traditional “short song” and its end is abrupt and unnatural. Similarly, the excellent piano ballad ‘A Thousand Ways’ surrenders itself to a drum loop and then, just stops. It’s intentionally jarring, and creates the same effect. Combined with the strong mental health theme and the fourth track literally being called ‘The Noose’, it becomes a clear, intentional statement. However, it also means 40% of the songs are cut short. It’s an artistic compromise that draws attention from the frankly excellent songwriting elsewhere.
As we said at the beginning, mental health problems can be a mixture of conflicting emotions, discordant voices, the downbeat and uplifting struggling with each other. They can be a mix of explosive energy and abrupt endings. WREX have distilled this into their new EP. ‘SADWORLD’ is a stunning piece of art but only a taste of what they’re capable of.
IAN KENWORTHY