Ironically, for a band who are literally named after the colour of piss, Trope House frequently feels like a detonation of different colours. Urochromes’ first full-length is a record that is as manically energetic as it is head-scratching.
Then again, Urochromes have always done ‘punk’ a little bit differently to most other bands. Since 2015, the duo has taken the tried-and-tested guitar-and-drum macho punk ideal and have slowly subverted it by adding upon layers of weird, Devo-like surrealism.
Trope House sees the New York band wander even further down this experimental path. Kick-off track ‘Milieux’ and single ‘Hair So Big’ might be old-school classic punk rock, but over the 10-tracks Urochromes manage to visit some pretty weird and trippy places. ‘Rumshpringa’ is probably the closest you’ll get to a Urochromes ballad, while the cover of Bikini Kill’s ‘Resist Psychic Death’ is gloriously unhinged.
In the hands of most other bands, this balancing act wouldn’t work, but luckily Urochromes have a secret weapon in Dick Riddick. Effortlessly inspired and inventive, he always seems able to throw Stooges influences, tape fuzz and guitar licks together and come up with incredible-sounding sonic ratatouille. Trope House, with all of its bizarro twists and turns, basically sees this genius really cut loose.
