soul glo pulls no punches on ‘the nigga in me is me’

Even self-proclaimed political bands wrap the meaning of their lyrics in allegory. It’s how the Reagan era launched a thousand punk records in the 1980s with nary a mention of the man himself. For songwriters, it’s a sure fire way to guarantee timelessness to their words: wicked politicians come and go, but themes remain. Yet there’s also a sense of cowardice to it; in a time where yesterday’s anti-establishment punk can become today’s establishment presidential candidate, it’s best to play it safe.

Soul Glo doesn’t have the time (nor the privilege) for niceties. Playing a maelstrom of noise, powerviolence, and hip-hop, they pour the rage of living in the United States into every distorted guitar riff, drum fill, and anxious scream. More experimental than their 2017 untitled debut LP, their new record, The Nigga In Me Is Me, is an 18-minute onslaught of rage at a sociopolitical system that is broken.

Singer Pierce Jordan barks lyrics like “Them white niggas you fuck with turn tiki torch real quick.” at speeds that would leave H.R. winded. The band never gives him a break as the music shifts in unpredictable ways. The track titled “31” (all but one of the nine songs have numbers for names) starts off as hardcore before collapsing into SoundCloud hip-hop, with Jordan keeping the same intense delivery across both parts. Accusations drip throughout the lyrics, as he spins a tale of a self-proclaimed ally who showed their true colors in the face of police brutality: “If that cop had taken a further step than just putting his hand on his gun, and shot us right there, we might never know whose side your really on?“

“27” folds into a galloping drum beat and bass line while sneaking in a genuinely pretty guitar melody. The mood is temporary as Jordan screams, “Congratulate me, a nigga’s finally free!” halfway through, starting a fresh distorted guitar attack. Track “32” is built around industrial trap drums and a mournful sample, as the band gripes against America’s lack of racial self-awareness with lines like, “No more selling off our trauma just to eat trash, or letting you deny the past to swerve the backlash.”

For the band, the idea that at any given time they can go from singing about police brutality to facing it weighs heavy on their minds. “Feels great to finally have some grievances to take to the streets to shout!!! But the name of (the cop who) who murdered Korryn Gaines still hasn’t seemed to make it out.” The Nigga in Me is Me takes solace in the cathartic experience of playing heavy music under these circumstances. Its artful rage, experimental soundscapes, and the crazed song structure that Soul Glo brings to the project makes it one of the best hardcore punk records out today.