ĠENN – Liminal
Brighton-based alt-rockers ĠENN’s brand new EP ‘Liminal’ is mesmeric. Dripping with genre-defying alt-rock bops the sky’s the limit for this record.
With escapism firmly rooted in its soul, the new EP ‘Liminal’ from ĠENN is proving to be quite the release. Including the singles ‘Feel’ and ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’ the record shifts and snaps from rock to psychedelic and back again on a winding six-track experience.
Leona Farrugia’s shimmeringly energetic vocal provides a formidable base for every tune to set out its respective stall.
Showcasing stunning 70s style psychedelic vibes in a hazy, wavy celebration of guitar laden atmospheric sound. ‘Feel’ is the introductory track and it’s also the perfect start to the record.
Funky tones fill out the sound on the incredible ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’. The second single release off the EP tells the story of a fish wanting to make its way around Europe on its way back to the lead-singer’s native Malta. Speaking about the marine life inspired track recently Farrugia said:
“I think Mackerel’s Funky Mission is an escapism mechanism…. you sort of pretend to be someone else – in this case a fish – to escape from a current situation. It’s fun to pretend you’re something else and write from that perspective. It was also inspired by the lockdown as I wanted to be a fish just to be able to travel, and also by my love for the sea. I tried to be as visual as possible with the lyrics and the story.”
Off the back of all those fishy goings-on we’re treated to an altogether different, rockier, soundscape on ’23rd March’. Full of Joan Jett style swagger and panache it saunters into your life as a mid-record track but it’s hard to forget.
The likes of ‘Falling Out’ and ‘Just Another Sad Song’ show us yet more sides to ĠENN’s sound. The former is a funky toe-tapping beauty of a track at the end of the record to round off the experience. Whereas the latter starts from humble beginnings before swelling into a soaring climax. Leveraging clattering percussion, jangling guitars, and angsty elevated vocals to create a cacophony of incredible sound.
All in all, it’s a triumph of an EP. You could listen this for hours, purely because every song gives you something else. From psych, to rock, to funk, and back to psych again. ‘Liminal’ A marauding escapism-fuelled slice of paradise which caresses and clouts in equal measure.
‘Liminal’ is out on March 30th.
Tom Spruce
