CHUGCORE EXCLUSIVE: YXVNG – Generation Rx [EP/2015]
Artist: YXVNG
Album: Generation Rx – EP
We are a generation blinded. For decades, we the people have been fed mental sedatives and adorned with blinders reducing the range of our consciousness. “They”—Big Pharma, the government, pick an establishment–have so subtly and surreptitiously snared our mind in a noose that we have hardly noticed. Our species has been kept in the dark until, with blinding brilliance and emphatic energy, the true power of the human mind has been thrust upon us–in the form of YXVNG’s Generation Rx. YXVNG having labeled themselves as “uptempo drugcore” are not entirely wrong: their debut EP is a drug of the most potent nature. Catchy lyrics laced with frantic heaviness and bizarre, captivating vocals, Generation Rx invades the listener’s brain like a chemical and expand their consciousness more effectively than any psychoactive substance.
From the first second “Acideath” enters the listener’s ears, they are hooked—addicted to YXVNG’s unique instrumental stylings. Each musician behind YXVNG adds a new and perplexing influence to Generation Rx that is bewildering at first, but thoroughly entertaining. YXVNG’s drums are punchy and driving, giving Generation Rx a quick, frenzied candor that keeps it roaring along, circling through the listener’s bloodstream. “Dramathematics” is home to some of YXVNG’s catchiest percussion, while the drumming behind “Revolutionever” is equal parts raunchy and relentlessly crushing, especially when coupled with the quartet’s throbbing, pulsing bass grooves. YXVNG’s drumming punches holes into the listener’s veins for the bass and guitar riffs and grooves to flow into, settling into the listener’s tissues and numbing their flesh. At times, YXVNG’s fretwork is lacerating–like the riff-friendly fiesta in “Alchemyouth.” However, tracks like “Revolutionever” and “Ouroborosphere” are displays of savage, chug-heavy aggression that melt the listener’s brain like years of heroin abuse on fast-forward.
Where YXVNG’s instrumentation is pervasive and unusual—oscillating between quick, punchy breakdowns and quicker yet grooves—It serves as a vector for the group’s bizarre vocal stylings. To put it simply, YXVNG’s vocal element is polarizing—the listener will either be instantly hooked or turned off by the group’s high-strung chanted scream. However, no matter whether the listener loves or hates the shouts and screams on Generation Rx, they have to admit–it’s catchy as hell. “Revolutionever” has a bridge that will get stuck in the listener’s head for weeks–if isn’t pushed out by the chorus/refrain in “Alchemyouth” first. Generation Rx‘s vocals are the perfect counterpart to the group’s instrumentation, taking advantage of the group’s musical energy to embed themselves deep in the listener’s head, casting seeds of insidious one-liners and unique lyrical themes deep within the listener’s gyri and sulci.
When I say Generation Rx is a drug, I mean it in earnest. YXVNG’s quick, tough music is like a hard, sugar coated pill capsule, easily flowing down the listener’s throat. However, one the listener’s stomach begins to churn and acidic chyme corrodes the capsule, the band’s vocals begin to take effect. They permeate every square inch of the listener, un-doing countless years of consciousness-dulling and sedation. Generation Rx challenges the listener to open their eyes and experience some of the grittiest, most unique heavy music since Duck Duck Goose’s Noise. Even if you’re like me and have no experience with hallucinogenics, the one-two punch of catchiness and crush that YXVNG bring to the table will have you seeing stars.
Don’t risk legal action and harmful side effects—If you need to expand your cognitive space and truly experience your surroundings, YXVNG have a perfectly dosed drug for you: Generation Rx. Heavy, hectic and fun, the only side effect Generation Rx has is replay-button abuse and contagious catchiness.
9.5/10
For Fans Of: Duck Duck Goose, Barrier, Darke Complex, Kingmaker
By: Connor Welsh
