The Paranoyds are a relatively fresh-on-the-scene group coming out of Los Angeles. I learned about them when their third single “Face First” and its new music video hit my inbox, and I was hooked. I had little information outside of press releases, so giving this up-and-coming band’s buzzing debut album a listen allowed me to come into it with a fresh pair of ears & I got to pull from my own personal reactions to whatever would play next.
Carnage Bargain turned out to be one of those albums that remind you the spirit of Punk will always find a new host to possess, and it can find new ways to make it sound fresh. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel, just show us what you can do with it. This a very strong debut and I am eager to find out what comes next for this group.
Check out our list of our top 5 tracks on Carnage Bargain below.
“Face First”
The introduction to the album is arguably its finest moment, but it’s far from being the only highlight. Led by this brooding bass line and a lead guitar riff that screeches its way into your brain to scratch a sonic itch that would otherwise consume you, the song will punch you with a healthy dose of spookiness from beginning to end. The track is all attitude and energy with an underground aesthetic, and it’s such a fine way to start your journey through Carnage Bargain. I can see this track as the score for an action scene for a scary movie when the lead characters start fighting back.
“Bear”
This track boasts a 70s-tinged chorus and a raw and crunchy Garage Rock quality to the lead guitar. It reminds me of a contemporary take on Iggy & the Stooges, taking the spirit of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” & flipping it with a more melodic chorus but without sacrificing its catchiness. The song feels like leather jacket and jeans, a classic style that also fits right at home today.
“Hungry Sam”
The central figure in this track is the upbeat keyboards that follow the Bay City Rollers-esque pep of the opening guitar riff, but it really takes over the spotlight in the instrumental outro. I quite like the overall simplicity vibe of this track about miscommunication, but it’s the genre-melding music that really shines for me. I can’t think of too many examples of artists since the Doors’ heyday that I’ve heard in which the keys play such an important role on the dynamic of a song without sounding like it’s merely a complementary part of the composition. The danceable outro is such an attention-grabbing change of pace, operating like a secret weapon.
“Heather Doubtfire”
It appears that the band’s best tracks on this debut effort falls on their longer tracks. This song is one of the band’s older ones that won its way on the debut album. It clocks in at over four minutes, and throughout that time you get an excellent display of how they can build you up to a lively chorus and then bring down the tempo to a crawl as the song concludes.
“Ratboy”
This one also feels like an epic. The opening riffs start you off in the middle, but once the verse arrives the machine is running full force. Every instrument takes it up a notch and the resulting slushy guitars and take-no-prisoners bassline play well with the imposing keys. The Paranoyds really do thrive in these moments where they’re just jamming out, conveying as much emotion with just their instruments as one does with lyrics. This is exactly how you want to end this ride.
