After two albums of deliberately abrasive, hyperactive metal racket, this LA five-piece have tried to tone things down on album three. Not that you could tell straight away, as opener Thunder Chunky starts where 2011’s Ruining It For Everybody left off – with a cacophony of electronic stabs, frenzied Dillinger-esque playing, inventive breakdowns and new vocalist Courtney LaPlante’s berserk barks and rich, soulful croon.
However, where Late For Nothing breaks the mould is by channelling the ADD nature of the band’s unique sound into more rounded, thought-out songs than before. IWABO’s strength lies in utilising the myriad of styles and ideas to simply enhance a basic formula of catchy riffs and sublime choruses, notably on the album’s most conventional tracks, Mind The Gap and I’d Buy That For A Dollar.
Though heading off into the unknown with a hellish, grinding finale, Firebees, they also display how both moving and catchy the band’s hooks can be. It’ll take repeated listens to really nail down what’s happening, but there are enough familiar hallmarks to keep you enthralled while you figure it all out.
