Review: Facetia Twists Punk All Around on ‘Hyperbole’
Imagine being submerged by a wave of thick, fuzzed-out guitars, dynamic vocals, and a driving rhythm section. It’s punk, but explores all different styles of rock. An album that shows progression. Does that sound awesome? Well good, because that’s exactly what Portland stoner-punk band Facetia has put on the table with Hyperbole, the project’s latest effort. The album contains songs written by singer-songwriter Brendan Deiz after the separation of his previous band, Inflammation.
Hyperbole as a whole is a very dynamic record, and successfully covers many different styles of punk, alternative, and grunge music. Songs such as “Consumption Junction” and “Congratulations” are sarcastic, in-your-face punk songs, with bold lyrics like, “Congratulations/You deserved it/Even if you’re/Fucking worthless.” Meanwhile, songs like “Ebb and Flow” and “Safe Inside” slow things down a bit, with melodic guitars, softer vocals, and more personal content.
After “Get U Off,” the album starts to take off in all different directions, and it really shows how flexible of a songwriter Brendan is. “Question” is the first taste of this, a haunting acoustic song featuring various percussion instruments, while “Entropy” features a slide-guitar and tremolo. One of the coolest parts about this record is that many of the songs have washed-out breakdowns with tons of chorus and fuzz, and then the song picks back up again.
Because of all the dynamic changes going on on Hyperbole, it’s impossible to get bored of this record. Hyperbole isn’t necessarily a cohesive record, but each song is a great stand-alone track, shaping and redefining what “punk” really is and what it can be. Hyperbole shows experimentation, progression, frustration, and aggression, which are all really exciting factors to include into an album. I cannot wait to hear what they’ve got next!
(Hyperbole can be purchased for $7 digitally through Facetia’s Bandcamp page at https://facetia.bandcamp.com/album/hyperbole. You can stream the track “Consumption Junction” below.)
