Death Grips – Jenny Death: The Powers That B Disc 2 (Third Worlds, Harvest; 2015)
Blown-out and inexorably bleak, Jenny Death represents a culmination of virtually every sound Death Grips has previously dabbled in, now dished in 11 brain-melting doses and powered by sharp, searing live guitars; the addition of the latter is simply transformative, enabling the band with a powerful new tool. MC Ride’s typically manic vocal delivery is also back in spades, serving as a welcome release from The Powers That B’s A-side, Niggas on the Moon, and its comparatively laid back brand of glitch hop. Where some songs, namely the furious opener “I Break Mirrors with my Face in the United States,” find Death Grips channelling the shrill digital hardcore of Atari Teenage Riot to thunderous effect, Jenny Death’s biggest surprises lie in its most accessible tracks; “On GP,” the album’s penultimate build-up, is a noisy, psychedelic wave of gloom and unnatural beauty, with Ride delivering some of his bluest words to date. While we haven’t heard the last of the frustratingly enigmatic trio, Jenny Death is a deafening return to form.
Trial Track: “On GP”
8/10
