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Album Review: Tricot – 3
Tricot
3 - Big Scary Monsters Records / Top Shelf Records / Bakuretsu Records
Japanese trio Tricot released their third album, 3, yesterday, the 19th May 2017, on Topshelf Records in the US, Big Scary Monsters in the UK and their own Bakuretsu Records label in Japan. Japan is a country that has form for unique bands, whether it’s the insanity of Mad Capsule Markets, the sugary punk of Shonen Knife or the bubblegum pop metal of BabyMetal, and I would certainly add Tricot to that list with their pop tinged combination of math rock and punk
Opening track Tokyo Vampire Hotel hits you with frantic math rock beats combined with a pop sensibility and punk intensity and from this point on you have no idea what to expect from Tricot. 3 varies constantly in style and approach, from the full tilt punk influneced blasts to mellower melodic moments that incorporate an almost jazz influenced style, all the while possessing the complex structures that are associated with math rock, but it’s all delivered in such a way that you don’t find yourself lost in an endless interchangable array of timing changes and technical exercises. The album is sung entirely in Japanese but oddly the language barrier doesn’t impact on your enjoyment of what is a bubbly and effervescent interpretation of math rock.
If three is indeed the magic number then the Japanese trio have certainly banked on that, with 3 being their third album and it being released simultaneously via three record labels on three continents. 3 is an infectious effervescent and original variation on math rock, this is usually a genre that I struggle to warm to as the band’s are frequently obsessed with turning their recordings into lengthy technical exercises, but that isn’t the case with 3, this oddly infectious and charming release is a perfect example of how to take a collection of random ingredients, including a few that I normally find unpalatable, and create something irresistible.
Tricot will be appearing at the ArcTanGent Festival in Bristol on 17th – 19th August with further UK tour dates to follow
3 can be ordered via Big Scary Monsters Records here (UK) and via Top Shelf Records here (USA)
