Anti-Fun Propaganda is Gen and the Degenerates’ debut album… and it’s a gem, an unmissable pearl of punk-rock spirit. Review.
ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA – GEN AND THE DEGENERATES
At the dawn of the end of the world, Gen and the Degenerates are releasing a calm, polite, tender… ah… ah no, sorry, that’s not them. Apologies. Gen and the Degenerates have none, or close to none, on Anti-Fun Propaganda. With a pop-grunge upstart, Kids gets us to dance. A beautiful intro. But THE banger of this record is just behind. Queer, sexy, witty, Girls! is a track to put in all your playlists.
Anti-Fun Propaganda is way too catchy for its own good, and its lyrics are filled up to the brim with fresh, clever, and witty words. It’s a punch in the face and actually fun. In the same vein, with a deliciously sarcastic and brutally honest tone, a fine spirit, and a rare bite, there’s a wonderful piece of advice. That’s Enough Internet For Today. All Figured Out mixes nostalgia and pure anxiety – the ideal formula to be understood – and not just for our Sims 2 generation.
Surprising, the band offers an acoustic, guitar-vocals-only, interlude, Plan B, with a natural grain to it. Magnificent. Here, they display their quieter side. But let’s go back to it later on. In the meantime, the band goes loud again with Famous, BIG HIT SINGLE, and Post-Cool. Tackling patriarchy, the world’s unsustainable politics, social media, celebrity, and the musical industry, Gen and the Degenerates plays the honesty card and it works. The balance between seriousness and fun is perfect. To complete it all, and show off their range, Jude’s Song closes the record. It’s fantastic: emotional, finely built, powerful… it’s a turn that has a lot of sense and meaning at the end of the record. I am speechless.
In the end, Gen and the Degenerates as so much wit and savoir-faire that putting everything into their debut album, Anti-Fun Propaganda, was a risk. Sure. But it’s a risk that makes me want to hear a lot more of them. To follow closely.
