Gut Health – ‘Stiletto’ album review: An infectious dance-punk debut

Name: Gut Health - Stiletto
Rating: 4

Ben Forrest

Thu 10 October 2024 17:23, UK

Gut Health - 'Stiletto'

THE SKINNY: Chances are, if you are suitably clued up on grassroots and independent music, you have already heard the name Gut Health. From their early beginnings back in 2022, the Naarm/Melbourne band have found a name for themselves, purporting a unique brand of dance-punk, blending infectiously fun punk influences with the darker, more experimental sounds of no-wave. Being one of the most talked about up-and-coming bands on the circuit, there has been a lot of anticipation surrounding their debut album, Stiletto. Thankfully, though, the Australian group have certainly managed to live up to the hype.

Melbourne has fostered a particularly vibrant DIY music scene in recent years, culminating in a variety of incredible groups completely reinventing perceptions of punk and post-punk. Within that scene, there is no doubting the idea that Gut Health are among the most polished and skilful groups. This fact becomes abundantly clear within the very early stages of Stiletto, where the band demonstrate its wide range of influences, from the old-school post-punk and no-wave movement to more modern, energetic sounds.

One of the various things that this album does very well is capture the energy and spontaneity of Gut Health’s live performances. Throughout the record, you get the sense of the band bouncing off of each other in the studio, crafting an album that is as collaborative as it is fun. ‘Fun’ might sound like a bit of a cop-out when describing an album, but it must be said that Gut Health’s dance-punk leanings are, indeed, fun. Of course, there are many levels to the band’s sound and songwriting, many of which are explored across Stiletto‘s tracklist. At its heart, though, the album is endlessly energetic, danceable, and, well, fun.

Adding to this level of enjoyment on the album, Gut Health explores a wide array of sounds as the tracklisting progresses. Having ten tracks of exclusively bass-heavy dance-punk could certainly risk becoming repetitive, losing its initial appeal. To combat this, the band move between the compelling energy of post-punk, and something much more considered, slow, and introspective. Throughout it all, though, the band maintain that infectious rhythm that has been with them since their very early releases.

Upon initial glance, ‘mellow’ does not seem to be in the vocabulary of frontwoman Athina Uh Oh or the rest of the group, but there are moments on this album – the tracks ‘Two Steps’ and ‘Stiletto,’ in particular – where Gut Health slow things down a little in order to explore other musical avenues. This diversity in sound culminates in an utterly undeniable debut album, that evokes a level of sonic maturity and consideration that many bands never achieve, let alone on their first full-length release.

For fans of: Whiling away the evening drinking VB and cleaning your extensive collection of original-press James Chance records.

A concluding comment from Ben’s housemate: “It is midday on a Wednesday, and all of a sudden, I am ready to put on my most pretentious band t-shirt and dance the night away. I have things to do today, I have no time to obey the commands of Australian dance-punks.”

Stiletto track by track:

Release date: October 11th | Producer: Dom Willmott and Adam Markmann | Label: Highly Contagious / AWAL Recordings

‘Uh Oh’: Introducing the world to the infectious sounds of Gut Health, this opening track acts almost as a theme tune for lead singer Athina Uh Oh, although the bass stylings of Adam Markmann are just as captivating as the frontwoman’s vocal performance on ‘Uh Oh’. [4/5]

‘The Recipe’: Capturing the energetic essence of Gut Health’s noted live performances, ‘The Recipe’ takes multiple cues from classic post-punk and indie rock, yet it never feels derivative or overdone. The band manages to imbue this inherent atmosphere with their own distinctive sound and energy, which is a sign of things to come in the rest of the record. [3.5/5]

‘Scripture’: Five minutes is a long time for an ordinary post-punk outfit, yet the runtime of ‘Scripture’ seems to fly by instantly. Showcasing the band’s ability to create atmospheric, often downbeat, music in addition to the energetic dance-punk that earned them an audience, the song certainly adds a degree of variety to Stiletto. [4/5]

‘Restless’: Clearly taking a lot of cues from old-school no-wave music, this track features discordant saxophones and a driving, broody bassline. While it offers some interesting ideas, Gut Health might be at risk of attempting to do too much in one song here, and the final product suffers somewhat. [3/5]

‘Separate States’: Driven by a wonderfully infectious drum beat, evoking the punk roots of Gut Health, this effort brings some of the energy back into Stiletto after moving through a handful of more downbeat exploits. [4/5]

‘Cool Moderator’: A definite stand-out from the record, ‘Cool Moderator’ is indebted to the sounds of groups like The Contortions, at least with regard to the instrumentation. Again, the vocal performance of Athina Uh Oh is a clear attraction, tying together the various wide-reaching influences of the band. [4.5/5]

‘Juvenile Retention’: Dynamic, danceable, and very in-keeping with the early material of Gut Health. Although it offers nothing particularly new regarding Gut Health’s sound, it remains a fun and welcome addition to the tracklisting. [3.5/5]

‘Two Steps’: Mellow is not a word that seems to fit in with the manifesto of Gut Health, but this song is – in comparison to their other tracks – a little more subdued. It would be very easy for the sound of energetic dance-punk to grow weary over the course of an entire album, so the variety of sounds explored by Gut Health are very commendable. [3.5/5]

‘Memory Foam’: Again, this song follows much the same formula as many of the other tracks on this record – chaotic, discordant, and compelling instrumentation held together by the vocal performance. Ultimately, though, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. [3.5/5]

‘Stiletto’: A seven-and-a-half minute epic to close out the record, Gut Health demonstrate a level of maturity and skilled artistry far beyond their years. Fittingly, for such a storming debut record, the closer is perhaps one of their greatest efforts thus far. [4.5/5]