Contempt

Musically, Contempt is as eclectic as ever. The band cite influences ranging from My Bloody Valentine to Pixies, but draw just as much from literature, cinema, and football podcasts. Lyrics are peppered with references to Yeats, Greek mythology, The Simpsons, J.G. Ballard's Crash, and the boorish director character from Le Mepris. The result is a collection of songs that shift effortlessly between caustic art-rock, shoegaze melancholy, and spiky rant-pop. But amidst all the bile and bombast, Contempt finds moments of surprising tenderness. In this sense, Contempt feels less like a statement of nihilism and more like an honest reflection of the human condition: alienation, anger, absurdity--and a flicker of hope.