Joe 4 “Enola Gay” CD/10”

Formed in 2008, Joe 4 hails from Zagreb, Croatia, and the "Enola Gay" EP is their first "proper" release (they did a demo in 2009) from French label Whosbrain Records. I'm no expert on the whole Amphetamine Reptile/"noise rock" angle, but this is exactly what I associate with that type of sound, and when I do run across it I feel like I generally appreciate what I hear. They're a trio and the guitars don't utilize a great deal of distortion, so the basslines play a huge role right there in the center of the mix. In fact, the rhythm section as a whole probably drives this material even more than the guitars, which is rare but awesome. The vocals sort of walk a line between speaking and shouting; while the guitar riffs range from straight up abrasive textures to sparse chords/notes, angular patterns, and unexpected little melodies—all treated with constantly shifting levels of distortion. The recording is absolutely perfect for this style as well. Everything sounds totally warm and natural, and while there's a certain fitting sense of dated ruggedness to it, it's quite crisp and balanced, too. Man, there are a lot of great bands in Croatia. This is an awesome EP, and I really think that listeners who have more of a history with this style of music should completely lose their minds over this stuff. Very cool...

Vinyl purchases come with a download code, and the mp3's are available as a name your price download, so there's no excuse not to pick this up if you like what you hear!

Get It

Whosbrain Records (CD/10")
Bandcamp (10"/mp3)