Post-Punk outfit Gdansk81 have released quite the catalogue of music over a couple of years now, with an album and EP both in their resume by this point. Now though we have a second EP, Entropy of Scriptures.
Whilst entropy is defined as a steady descent into chaos, it gives an interesting insight into what exactly the songs contained may be themed towards. Stories that slowly spiral into dissolution.
Starting with the punk adjacent, digitally ingrained, 3×3. We’ve got a heavy helping of retro inspired synth notes layered in over piano and a more usual punk arrangement. It’s a song about two people involved in an affair as they, “kiss between the lines”, an uniquely romantic yet taboo way of looking at their folly. With both subjects being represented by both female and male vocals on the track, it becomes obvious that this is a mutual agreement and love between the two. Add in a spoken word segment that lays out the more romantic elements, there’s this very stylish feel to the whole song.
Beckii Sweetheart is something much more 80’s inspired track. This time there’s an intro of crunchy guitar, more typical synth notes than the ones of 3×3 which gave a Tetris-inspired feel. The tempo that modulates and seamlessly moves up and down in sound is an interesting take. The story here feels like a solid continuation of the previous track, with a more possessive feeling coming from the sole male perspective in this track. Rattling off questions that going into far more detail and sexualisation of the subject, ‘Beckii’.
I’m In Love With A Girl That Looks Like A Girl That I Hate is the third track. And it’s one that continues the descent into madness that the EP chronicles. The title says it all really, and the undertones are outright sinister at this point. Our subject now comes to the realisation that the girl he loves is eerily similar to his wife, which he has come to hate. And with an even harder cranking of chaotic guitars, drums, and an eerie synth arrangement over the chorus it’s unsettling to the core. On top of this are background vocals that seem to chirp ‘lover’ in the background of the chorus, something which just adds to the mystique of it all.
The final track of four, Tatty Head, is the logical conclusion of what has become a waking nightmare for our subject. With a more gentle and less obsessive gaze placed on the girl, he’s in love with. The saddening part is that the resolution is that the girl he’s fallen in love with isn’t real, she’s a character from a movie if the lyrical implications are anything to go by. With heavily extended moments of no vocals throughout the track, we’re treated to easily the best musical performance on the EP, which is something to say with such a strong lineup. Ending with female vocals once again pushing in to try and make some sense of the situation, we’re left with little resolution to the story other than an extended outro, followed by a sound sample of a woman saying, “you’re the first American I have met with a soul, it has a strange effect on me”.
Overall there’s a definite vibe to the whole of Entropy of Scriptures, one that at times is uplifting, and others where it’s upsetting. With a fantastic musical arrangement of instruments throughout and some clever songwriting, it’s a definitively solid choice for any genre fan.