Worlds Worst Reflects Quarantine Angst On Debut EP
During the COVID-19 pandemic, albums recorded before global shutdowns continued to haunt the listening world with thoughts and emotions from our past lifestyles. For Worlds Worst, a local band based out of Salt Lake City, their eponymous debut EP released in early April eerily anticipates and reflects the emotions and angst associated with life in quarantine.
It embraces DIY aesthetics and brings an energy of garage-punk-esque rock to their shoegaze, lofi sound. Composed of Jake Phillips, Zach Mayo, Andrew Aronson and Max Schoenfeld, the band focuses on creating distortions in their sound. Messy, noisy, and heavy guitars are paired with soft lyrics and gentle harmonies. These intense instrumentals contribute to a disjointed and claustrophobic atmosphere, but this environment works to amplify lyrical discussions of feeling motionless, powerless.
It opens with “Talk”. Without hesitation, Worlds Worst dives into fuzzy guitar riffs and confidently fills the space with the energy of some underground punk show. The track is centered around the lyrical hook, “I know now, what he said.” In just this one line, themes of regret, misunderstanding and reflection upon past interactions are immediately called to mind— topics that have all become far too relatable in a quarantined world.
Then follows “Idle.” Tightened guitar and bass lines direct the listener’s attention towards the lyrics. In this song, the EP’s overarching discussions of “idleness” or wasting away without being able to change anything are solidified. An influence of angst, Worlds Worst is able to confront this sense of apathy without leaning too far into an emo-sphere.
Next up on the tracklist is “Blue.” As the shortest track on the EP, “Blue” showcases the band’s talent to quickly create a soundscape that is simultaneously hopeful while reflecting the pain and trauma from a tumultuous environment.
Lastly, it concludes with “Orange.” In a podcast with SLUG Magazine, the band referred to “Orange” as their “pop-iest” song. The track does begin in a more conventional manner, but after the first verse, Worlds Worst returns to the sound they’ve established while leaning more heavily towards their punk sensibilities. Personally, “Orange” is my favorite track off of the EP because it showcases the band’s range between focused and distorted instrumentals. The verses offer a chance to step back from a harsh instrumental overload and the lyrics are able to clearly shine through. Yet, the periods in between each verse demonstrate the band’s ability to dive into punk rock as they fully explore the anger and depression that have informed most of the EP.
For fans of My Bloody Valentine, Snail Mail and Choir Boy, Worlds Worst falls right into a landscape of dissonant angst fueled by an estranged longing.
