EP Review: NOBRO – Live Your Truth, Shred Some Gnar

Nobro are a fiery, rock n’ roll quartet from Montreal made-up of (if the band name didn’t give it away) four bad-ass women who bring punk energy to their brand of adrenalized, bubblegum scuzz pop. On their new EP, Live Your Truth. Shred Some Gnar, the group recorded each song individually, to give each track its own distinct flavor. Yet there’s no denying the cohesiveness of this collection, nor its appeal to any fans of classic punk and riot grrrl rock.

First single and opening track “Better Each Day” may throw you off for a moment with its children’s choir, church organ and hand-clap beat. Don’t let it fool you – some hyper-punk noise soon explodes out of the gospel trappings, with reflective lyrics (“I spend my whole life running away. You know I think I kind of like it, like it better that way”) that set-up the escapist call-to-arms “think I gotta get the fuck out of here!”

It’s easy to hear the influences of the Go-Gos, The Ramones and The Runaways throughout, though second track “Julia” has a distinctly Velvet Underground-strut in its attitude. The heavy bass-led rhythm and poetic chorus (“She thought she could fly, but she fell from the sky”) channels Lou Reed vibes in the best way. “Eat Slay Chardonnay” is more playful, with distorted power chords, cowbell and shout-along lyrics.

Unlike some of the previously mentioned acts, Nobro is not afraid to get heavy. “Not Myself” is a pure head banger, with doom metal riffs, bellowing drums and shrieking vocals, with the only offset being the 80’s-style pop harmonies in the backing vocals. And living up to the album’s title, some gnar is very much shredded on the sick solo on “Get With U”. The EP closes out with the hippy acoustic track “Life is a Voyage”, which embraces life’s indulgences with some tongue-in-cheek dark humor (“If I’m on the ground, I can’t fall on the floor”) and brash kiss-offs (“you can go and fuck yourself”).

LYT/SSG is the kind of album that makes you want to see what the band would be like live, cause the energy on record is palpable. This band is creatively unpredictable, and it makes them that much more exciting.

Stream the EP here!

https://music.apple.com/us/album/live-your-truth-shred-some-gnar/1584005032