AMYL & THE SNIFFERS — ‘CARTOON DARKNESS’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The big return of Amyl & The Sniffers could seem like business as usual on the surface. Amy Taylor and co are still swearing like sailors, Amy’s still flashing in music videos and the music is just as fast-paced and ferocious as ever but one listen to Cartoon Darkness reveals there’s a lot more to this than you may first think.

The band’s third album offers a more intimate and melodic approach, even making use of acoustic guitars which made me jump upright when I heard it. The Australian quartet have made a name for themselves with a brash, bold, pacy and racy approach to punk. Every song before this third album carried an energy and an intensity that saw the band branded as “pub-punk” by some. Throughout their career they have graced us with tunes such as ‘Blowjob’, ‘GFY’ and ‘Don’t Need A Cunt (Like You To Love Me)’ and their music was about as subtle as those song names. Heading into album three the first song released ‘You Should Not Be Doing That’ had more of a slow, funky sort of bounce to it which immediately set it apart from what had come before. An audible change that immediately hooked me and made me excited for what was to come.

They followed that up with two more singles that marked a definite change in the band’s approach to their sound. Both ‘Chewing Gum’ and its slightly more tame, radio rock approach and the slow burning, anthemic ‘Big Dreams’ both feel like the band we know and love but presented in a way they’ve never presented themselves before. A much more measured, melodic and emotional version of the music I’ve been listening to for the past 4 years. These songs don’t feel too far removed from the raucous insanity of a song like ‘Security’ but it’s a comfort knowing the band are able to move in a slightly different direction and create a new sound within their classic one.

The final single released before the album is a reminder that the band haven’t lost their edge. The song ‘Jerkin’’, a middle finger to the faceless critics who hide behind their anonymity to take shots at the band and give themselves a few too many hand shandies, opens the album with the lyrics “You’re a dumb cunt” which is a stark reminder that they’re still the same chaotic Aussies I fell in love with. However, it is the only song on this album that doesn’t do it for me. It was always going to be a divisive song, especially with its music video having a censored and uncensored version, and I appreciate taking such a swing with the opener but sadly it just doesn’t land for me.

However, the rest of the record passes the test with flying colours. The record hides the band’s insecurities and doubts around this crazy world of fame within the lyrics of these tunes and if you’re not looking out for them you may very easily miss this. With the song ‘Tiny Bikini’ we hear Taylor grapple with the fact she’s known for tiny, skimpy and sometimes hardly anything there stage outfits. We can hear her worried about changing to something else on stage and facing backlash all while delivering the lyrics with a soft, infantilised, babydoll voice. The song is an incredible look at her relationship with herself, her persona, her fans and the expectations set upon her by everyone.

Throughout Cartoon Darkness we listen to the band grapple with the existential question of “What is Amyl and The Sniffers?” We hear them push the boundaries as far away as possible without ever losing their authenticity and we feel the weight of their history bearing down over every track. They don’t want to keep doing more of the same, if they ever want to grow then they can’t, but how does a band like Amyl and The Sniffers grow without losing what makes them special?

If you’d have asked me last week before this album was released if I expected to hear acoustic guitar then I would’ve laughed at you and I would’ve probably replied something like “That’s just not what they do,” but after hearing this album it’s obvious to me they’re much more accomplished and talented musicians than even I gave them credit for.

Cartoon Darkness is an amazing album that proves a band’s legacy is for them to decide what to do with, not the fans. Many fans, myself included, would’ve balked at the idea of our beloved, unfiltered punk band taking a step back, incorporating acoustic guitars and becoming a thought provoking, existential crisis having version of themselves but they have proven me wrong. They set out to answer the question of “What is Amyl and The Sniffers?” and we came out the other side with an obvious answer. It is whatever they want it to be