Beach Sloth

Neko Nine – Summer is You 6.8

                Neko Nine does it all: loud, quiet, contemplative, and aggression. Much of their sound appears to have a slight ‘metal’ sound to it particularly on the louder tracks. What they do is build things up with wordless vocals, various ambient sounds, before they increase the volume. Things do get quite loud on here too. Distortion is used in full effect. Oftentimes the distortion becomes so overwhelming it is difficult to understand what could possibly happen next. Usually towards the end these blasts are rather enjoyable and often keep the melody mostly intact. 

                ‘Breathe in’ offers a gentle introduction into their sonic universe. For ‘Some People are not like me’ they take a more aggressive approach. Right from the beginning the intensity is in full force and by the end it feels almost like it wants to collapse into a little ball. ‘Summer is You’ the title track, veers from a full out sonic assault to gentle moments. Often this shifts on a dime. The listening experience from such an approach results in a great deal of disorientation. ‘Supernova’ takes a different approach and is the most dance-orientated track on the whole thing. Here they appear to let the drums go way into the red. This creates a sort of swinging feeling to the track.

                By the time the ‘Safe in Sound’ arrives all their aggression has been spent. What’s left is a muted version of the band. They are done. The calm is enjoyable. Neko Nine doesn’t experience too much calm but ending it on a quiet note shows what they are capable of once the volume is turned down. In either approach they do a fine job.