For the past few months, I’ve woken up every day feeling some combination of sad, angry, guilty, gaslit and exhausted. Kind of reminds me of high school.
Frankly, once I shake it off and get out of bed, I just wanna rage.
Thankfully, Ring Finger No Pinky has given me a soundtrack in the form of their debut EP, Chlorine Bomb. The Phoenix-based rockers album is equal parts punk and goth, steeped in a calculated, acerbic anger.
Nobody’s invincible right now. The album opens with “Napalm Sticks to Kids,” the most traditionally punk song on the record. It’s quick, loud and repetitive. There’s a staccato snare roll halfway through that will make listeners punch through the nearest drywall.
“Rat Soup” and “Cleopatra’s Dream” follow. Each track feels increasingly methodical. Still driving, still thoughtfully enraged, but more purposeful. They give – maybe even ask? – the listener a chance to slow down in accord and ponder they lyrical messages. “Cleopatra’s Dream” feels almost like a goth departure from the same band that ripped off “Napalm Sticks to Kids,” but the tone and vocals maintain the style and flow of the band.
By the time “Dog Days” kicks in, you get it. Ring Finger No Pinky is as exhausted as you are, but not to the point of quitting. The track provides opportunity for a contemplative breath before they close out the EP with “Syringes in my Sock Drawer.” The finish is every bit as punk rock as “Napalm Sticks to Kids,” with a hopeful nihilism that promises a return in spite of and in response to whatever comes next.
