Norway's self-described "evil boyband," The Real Jobs, are back and unleashing their sophomore album, Do-Gooder (Tellé Records), an album that's as potent as it is unhinged. If you're a fan of the manic energy of bands like IDLES, Squid, or Fat Dog, you’ll want to dive headfirst into this. Pure chaos, introspective and thought-provoking lyrics and no small amount of fun..
Right from the jump, it's clear this isn't your average post-punk fare. The quartet—led by vocalist Bryn Bowen, with Eirik Marinius Sandvik, Jonas Vedaa Særsten, and William Jensen Mangerøy handling the dark, danceable production—have cooked up a sound that’s meticulously put together but always feels like it's about to fly off the rails. It’s a beautifully 'wonky' mix of blown-out electronics, reverb-soaked guitars, and gnarly synths that bend post-punk into a unique, psychedelic-tinged alternative rock beast. The two singles "Bubblegum" and "White Rage" carry evocative lyrical content packaged with the raw groove of a forward thinking alt-indie style..
The album's themes are bang-on for the digital age, dealing with what the band themselves call the "mean old voice in your head" and the general "brain rot" that comes from screen overload.