“No Peace is a promise and a threat.” – so reads the first line of the press release from Trash Talk regarding their third full-length release.
The aforementioned promise comes as no surprise; the Californians are renowned for their loud, brash sound bites of tracks and ruthless live performances, so of course there will be no peace on the album.
That said however, there are instrumentals, plural. Album opener ‘Amnesiastic’ and ‘Reprieve’ come courtesy of hip hop producer The Alchemist and are not peaceful by any stretch of the imagination, but it does give Lee Spielman a chance to rest between verbal deliveries that see him at his venomous pinnacle.
Then there’s the threat referenced in the press release. Trash Talk have always had a dangerous sound, a sound that says they will destroy everything you love if you cross them. Whilst that remains true today, No Peace swaps the twitching, maniacal façade for a brooding, calculated demeanour – if Eyes & Nines and 119 were sonic imaginings of Jason Voorhees, then No Peace is Jigsaw.
Incidentally, ‘Jigsaw’ is the name of No Peace’s stand out track. Not only does it go off like a 20-megaton atom bomb, it also showcases the band’s growth. There is clear structure and tune to the song, characteristics that have been vastly scant in years prior. Album closer ‘Stackin Skins’ (featuring rappers King Krule and Wiki) is a looming presence that snowballs into a crushing force that will imprint this album in the deepest recesses of your mind.
Meanwhile ‘Body Stuffer’ and ‘Leech’ give the illusions of choruses and throw themselves into the same league as ‘Explode’ (from Eyes & Nines) as songs for the fans to scream along with at live shows.
With 16 songs in 32 minutes, No Peace is Trash Talk’s lengthiest release to date and it certainly shows more signs of evolution in terms of talent and abilities, with some of their best tracks yet.
“No Peace is a promise and a threat” – never before has a promise been more true or a threat more warmly welcomed.
