7/10

Seeing how the new year’s going, not even a full month in, the storm that 2020 brought with it hasn’t quite passed yet. So instead of wallowing in our homes and listening to Mitski, how about going for a walk – or whatever the opposite of wallowing is – and listening to an entropy-charged Norwegian punk band?

Sound good?

Pom Poko – not to be confused with their namesake, a film by Japanese animation titan Studio Ghibli – is made up of four members. Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit on vocals, Martin Miguel Almagro Tonne on guitar, Ola Djupvik on drums, and Jonas Krøve on bass. The four of them come together to make a relatively fresh group, with their debut album having come out only two years ago. They’ve made a name for themselves with their experimental sounds, using odd chord progressions and turning up the dials on both the chaos and calm of their music. “Cheater,” their latest album, is a perfect example of what makes Pom Poko truly special.

Each song has a distinct sound to it, some being dominated by sharp riffs of a guitar thrown at the listener in a cacophonic slurry, and others being aligned with commonly known concepts of musical “order,” bearing more obvious and recognizable beats and rhythms, with more prominent vocals.

Speaking of vocals, Pom Poko does something unusual in this region: they’re quiet all across the board.

In every single song of the album the singer sounds a little dialed down in comparison to the rest of the band – and it’s especially noticeable when the guitars come crashing in. Though don’t be mistaken; this isn’t a gripe toward them, this is one of the main ingredients of what gives Pom Poko personality. The music leans away from its lyrical intent in favor of something that appeals to a primal part of the human brain that squirts a shot of dopamine every time Fun and Funky Boom Boom Crash Noises™ slap themselves against an eardrum.

In short, this is an album for everyone; it doesn’t ask to be contemplated, examined too closely or even taken seriously; all it asks of its listeners is for them to indulge and have fun. The lyrics are almost completely unintelligible by design because lyrics are not needed in order to have a good time, just as convoluted recipes and high nutritional content aren’t required to enjoy food.

So yes, 2021 is here, but instead of being woeful under the bedsheets, why not go out and listen to some Pom Poko to disconnect from earthly vices. It might even be possible to eat some candy beforehand to make the sugar rush both literal and figurative.