Barren? - Once Upon A Death... Our National Industry LP

Often rightly associated with shit-stained streets, an openly hostile local population and particularly annoying hipsters, Paris can also be the cradle of quality punk bands. Enter BARREN? with their second album Once Upon a Death: Our National Industry. On this new record, the three-piece kept working with the same raw material - namely the old-school UK anarchopunk sound of THE MOB, THE SYSTEM and the likes - but got to the task with more tools on their utility belt. The songwriting is more diverse and versatile (from straight-up punk beats to mid-paced dissonant ballad) with a certain attention to details and an ear for the melancholy tune. The production is also less polished and overall more energetic and with no less than 11 songs, it’s definitely a bargain. Considering the darker and darker times we’re living in, the lyrics are unsurprisingly angry and political with a focus on France’s weapon industry and bloody past - as the stunning Blinko-like artwork and poster illustrate - but good old songs about alienation, the quest for meaning and social roles are here to cheer you up as well.