Ecca Vandal’s debut album is a game of two halves. The first is a bruising, brutal collection of party anthems and the latter a restrained, synth pop-tinged breather. Either way, Ecca totally nails it with relative ease.
Early highlights come in the shape of the Beastie Boys-esque ‘Broke Days, Party Nights’ and the Refused and letlive-featuring ‘Price Of Living’ where the Australian rails against the current, failing political system. ‘Future Heroine’, meanwhile, harnesses ‘Yeezus’-sized drums and ‘Closing Ceremony’ features some of the most head-banging, chunky riffs you’ll hear all year. It is a relentless and thrilling opening.
From ‘Your Orbit’ onwards, which features Sampa The Great, a softer and more melodic side is shown. But in no way does the quality drop. ‘Bad Habit’ is a ‘90s-tinged epic of gigantic proportions and ‘Cold Of The World’ slinks with an M.I.A. like swagger. Restrained, only slightly, but still thrilling.
Going forward there’s no barriers or labels that can constrict what Ecca does next, but you already know it’s going to be a thrashing and diverse listen.
