In the history of album openers, it is hard to think of any track that makes quite as immediate an impression as ‘Jerkin’’ on Amyl and The Sniffers’ third LP Cartoon Darkness. This may seem to be a bold take, but if you can name another song with such imminently explicit lyrics that describe the band’s deriders masturbating in misogynistic rage over their frontwoman, then you might be able to contest it. ‘Jerkin’’ is a short and bouncy introduction that somehow cuts straight to the ethos of the album and sees the band use with glee the crude tools of their pub-punk origins.
Lead singer Amy Taylor sees herself and the world “driving / headfirst into cartoon darkness,” a lyric from the track ‘Doing in Me Head’ that became the album title. It’s one of the more sober songs on the record which explains how the band is sick of “ignoring the fantasy” and is grappling with the weight of impending climate meltdown, AI, and myriad modern pressures that make the future seem bleak. In an interview with DIY, Taylor confesses that humanity’s spiral into oblivion “is so bizarre and [she] just don’t understand it, so [there is] the naivety and sketchiness of cartoons. It’s not even realistic darkness.”
Yet, in the face of this bleak reality, the band doubled down on their brash tongue-in-cheek aesthetic, valuing “the idea of comic relief in order for people […] to be able to continue existing in the heaviness that is this current time.” Thus, Cartoon Darkness shifts from anxiety to glee, introspection and extroverted energy. As such, it can seem tonally inconsistent, but there is no better way to combine the band’s desire to elevate themselves with their confrontation with the gloom of the 21st century.
To address this range of themes, Amyl and The Sniffers dip their toes into genres beyond their rowdy brand of punk bangers. ‘Bailing on Me’ is a mellow alt-rock song mourning a failing relationship that sees Taylor sing in an unusually restrained fashion. A gentle whistled chorus closes the track as if the frontwoman is consoling herself on a lonely walk home. ‘Motorbike Song’ comes from the lineage of the Sniffers’ fellow countrymen AC/DC, a classic rock banger about driving complete with big drums and big guitars. This is tinged, however, with existentialism as the band asks “Are you sure that you’re living free?” which inverts the typical driving song message of hell-for-leather freedom. Some of the tracks that step outside their comfort zone can lack a little less punch than those in The Sniffers’ usual punk territory, but they are a welcome sign that the band is trying to broaden their range.
‘Big Dreams’ is the biggest genre outlier on the album, roaming into the territory of a score for a western. Chords ring out in a haze of reverb as the percussion highlights the weight of the rise in the chorus. If it were in a film, the scene would see our hero shaking off after a beating, licking their wounds as they prepare for a final showdown. This vibe perfectly compliments the message of holding onto individuality and creativity while life tries to grind you down. Although Taylor’s colloquialisms are a little misplaced here, it is a sound that the Sniffers fit surprisingly well, and it would be interesting to see them return to it.
Immediately following the slow burn of ‘Big Dreams’ is ‘It’s Mine,’ a sub-two-minute reminder that the band can still confidently whack out a blazing punk composition. Despite the variation, fans of Amyl and The Sniffers’ usual oeuvre will not be left wanting with Cartoon Darkness, although they will find that such songs are written with greater maturity. ‘Chewing Gum’ operates with a reserved coolness which does not outright attack the listener until guitarist Declan Mehrtens lets loose his signature brand of frantic soloing. Weighty riffs remain, though, and thunder down and up in the chorus. ‘Tiny Bikini’ continues the playfulness of ‘Jerkin’’ with Taylor defending her right to choose how she dresses with mocking “ooos” that, coupled with revolving dynamics, makes this incredibly fun track an album highlight. ‘Pigs’ sounds like it could have been taken from the Sniffers’ early EPs. However, it has become infused with self-reflection, the thrashing riffs tapered by the existential confession that “we are going nowhere.” What becomes clear on Cartoon Darkness is that Amyl and The Sniffers are dedicated to improving their sound, seeking to add more intent to even the shortest and wildest bursts of punk rage.
Beyond flirting with an array of guitar-driven genres, Amyl and The Sniffers have also branched out sonically, creating a larger and fuller-sounding album than their previous meat-and-two-veg production style. In some songs the experimentation with new textures is subtle and in line with their punk aesthetic. Take, for example, the lead single ‘U Should Not Be Doing That.’ The track doubles up key vocal lines to emphasise the childish tattle-tale voice Taylor gives to her critics. Furthermore, they utilise a saxophone a la X-Ray Spex that at first growls underneath the sparse, hanging guitars before both instruments explode in a duelling solo.
In other songs, the band put their studio meddling on full display. The album closer ‘Me and the Girls,’ which treads familiar ground for the Sniffers by advocating for women to freely do whatever they want, sounds almost like an abandoned merger with ELO (as long as you swap string sections for a jaw harp). This is most evident via the vocoder in the chorus singing “Can you believe it? It’s open bar,” replacing the usual retro-futuristic connotations of the warbled vocal effect with the slurring speech of a drunk night out. Is it a little out of place? Maybe, but it is undeniably fun, and prime evidence that the band don’t take themselves too seriously.
Cartoon Darkness portrays a band that will not allow themselves to be stuck in menial routines like those found in our capitalist hellscape. Amyl and The Sniffers are willing to celebrate life and music in their unique way, by broadening their horizons rather than regurgitating the same formulas. While Cartoon Darkness possesses some inconsistencies as a result of this, it is always a delight to see a band grow and experiment with a cheeky grin.
Words by Cameron Gibbs
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