Social Grace

This next evaluation I made is for a record released by the Louisiana-based extreme metal quartet Brat. To those of you who have yet heard of the project, it was founded by Brenner Moate (of the Sludge/doom/stoner metal band Cikada) and Liz Selfish back in 2020 during Mardi Gras 2020. The group started out well, and they thrived on the chaos and raw energy of their local underground metal scene. They even named their own take on extreme music, labeling it as ‘bimboviolence‘. Members mentioned that this self-aware term meant to embody their genre’s grindcore, powerviolence, and death metal influences with a knack for civil disobedience.

After releasing two entertaining EPs, three singles, and a compilation record, the hype of putting out a solid debut album was unavoidable. But by the time the band pressed their full-length, “Social Grace,” on Prosthetic Records, it ultimately felt to meet even the modest expectations of its niche. While Brat’s commitment to crude hawkishness is indubitable, the material appeared an unaccomplished thought rather than a beefy declaration. Right from the beginning, it is already evident that the project has struggled to rise above the already saturated field of extreme metal. The album leaned too heavily on a formulaic approach that made it almost identical to its peers. While they uniquely labeled their stuff as ‘bimboviolence‘, the music itself does not reflect the innovation one might expect from such a bold descriptor.

One of the most obvious issues with this recording is its ephemerality. While short songs are an authentication mark of grindcore and powerviolence, the quartet pushed this to a very severe extent that borders on disappointment. Many of the tunes here feel as though they ended before they’ve really truly begun. It only offered its listeners a little time to engage with or absorb the music. Instead of showcasing briefness as a leverage, the offering felt rushed and fragmented, as though they sacrificed significance for speed.

Even the production quality does little to help fix the problems. While straightforward and gravelly production can contribute to giving genuineness to a record in this genre, their choice of an overly unpolished sound worked against them. The instruments often blended into an indistinct wall of noise, which made it challenging to perceive the variations (or even the basic structure) of the materials. This lack of clarity rendered much of the release a muddled experience and made it difficult to appreciate what the group might have had aimed for.

Its vocal department fell into a tedious sequence too that it detracted from its intended magnitude. The unrelenting scream-heavy delivery, while combative, rarely shifted in tone or technique. That redounded to the vocals losing their touch as the full-length progressed. This constituted a flat and unvaried listening experience for the audience. The absence of any vocal experimentation or dynamic range basically diminished what should be one of the offering’s most instinctive elements.

Similarly, the guitar segment, which should’ve served as the backbone of such an aggressive style, came across as unimaginative. The riffs cycled through predictable patterns that undersupplied the distinctiveness needed to leave a lasting impression. Whether through a scarcity of upheaval or simple repetition, the music failed to carve out its own identity amidst a genre where originality is rare but vital.

Perhaps the most damning aspect of “Social Grace” is its limited appeal to the fans. Grindcore, powerviolence, and death metal are already niche genres, but these Americans’ perspective has managed to alienate even within that small pool of listeners. The relentless militancy and nonexistence of tweaking clearly appealed only to the most die-hard fans of raw and anarchic music. For anyone else, this stuff did not leave a lasting notion beyond sheer fatigue.

It is still worth acknowledging that the act is a young project, and this is still their debut effort. Every band must start somewhere, and it is possible that they could grow into their potential with more experience and touching up. However, as it stands, “Social Grace” is an uninspiring full-length for a band that clearly has more to prove. Despite their intriguing self-label and their undeniable passion, Brat failed to bring anything new or memorable to the table with this release.

If the goal of this debut was to make a definitive statement about Brat’s place in the world of extreme music, the result was instead a demonstration of how far they still have to go. There is room for growth, but for now, this album stands as an underwhelming start and a miserably inadequate output after their promising rough cuts released prior.