‘Dystopian society is not what we thought it would be, Pictured through smile and care, Humanity sinks to demise, And no one believes we have much to share’ (Sink)

Belgrade’s Staticø (Static) released their debut 7-inch, Il Nostro Cimitero (Our Cemetery), back in 2021.  It was well-executed, no-nonsense hardcore punk that was flecked through with an intriguing, but understated, post-hardcore sensibility.  Returning now with their first full-length, Absurdity Of This World, the band have given greater rein to those hinted at inventive instincts, and their ambition has been well-rewarded.

The band’s surging rhythmic base remains firmly intact, but those accents have been notably amplified.  The taut, jazz-tinged guitar leads inspire a jagged dance that can’t help but evoke the scent of Swing Kids, while the solos unfurl with an unexpectedly expansive flamboyance.  This experimentation flares brightly throughout.  From the extended wig-out that closes Rat Race to the brilliantly layered, largely instrumental closer The End, by way of the robustly melodic group chorus to Love Is Never Wrong and the ominously atmospheric intro to Lifeless that plunges you back to Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? era Megadeth, the album continues to twist in unexpected directions.

Meanwhile, the urgently rasping vocals contemplate the poisonous consequences of entrenched socio-economic inequality and systemic misinformation.  They examine how they have fuelled the domestic political conflict that leaves many European countries, including their own, teetering ever closer to naked authoritarianism. Meanwhile, wilful false equivalencies are used internationally to turn a blind eye to mass militarised murder.