Best of CBR Music with Vince Leigh
SONIC REDUCER – SKEWBALL
Sonic Reducer, a quartet of 20-year-olds from Canberra, has crafted a sound that doesn’t merely seek attention—it compels it with an almost insolent assurance. Their debut EP, SKEWBALL, packs 16 minutes of raw, unfiltered energy, tackling themes of toxic masculinity, insecurity, dating, and class systems with germane and commendable honesty.
In just a year and a half, Sonic Reducer has achieved an impressive list of milestones. They’ve played the Metro Theatre twice, toured with Cosmic Psychos, released a full EP, and sold out every headline show they’ve put on. Signing with Lonely Lands Artists and winning Best Live Voice at the National Live Music Awards adds to their rapidly growing CV.
The new EP kicks off with Between The Wire, a 2.03-minute burst of post-punk revival intensity. A bass intro segues into straight-ahead riffing, with narrowly EQ’d vocals navigating alongside classic punk chord shifts and accents.
The track’s foundational bass remains the cornerstone, adorned by urgent guitar phrasing, while the lyrics dive into the cynical hedonism of youth poised on the brink of adulthood’s inevitable disenchantment.
Strung Out features another bass intro, a spitting vocal, and another frantic pulse. The focused verse ventures into the band’s contained arsenal, with vocal elements playing a pivotal role in the overall mood and power. The fervour of this track underscores the EP’s thematic exploration of insecurity and societal pressures.
Stay Out kicks off with a fast drum roll that sets a frenetic pace. The track presents a more fractured verse cycle, with cleaner guitars that retain a restrained strength. This piece exemplifies the band’s ability to balance chaos and control, offering a glimpse into the turbulence of young adulthood.
One Of The Lads is driven by bass and drums into a semi-spoken verse, leading to a chanty, gang vocal—irony noted—that refreshingly declares a refusal to conform. The isolation is palpable, and the revelations are expected. Perhaps one of the most potent tracks, it bears the band’s lyrical preoccupations and disdain for societal norms.
Closing the EP, Wife In the City features an insistent bottom-end riff layered with undulating guitar lines. This underpinning creates an intoxicating blend of influences, hitting the nerve punk was always meant to hit. The track encapsulates the band’s enticing energy and, more importantly, the band’s inviolable promise.
Head to Sonic Reducers’ Linktree to listen to SKEWBALL and keep with their latest news.