J.R.C.G. – ‘Grim Iconic… (Sadistic Mantra)’ album review: bringing a dissonant world to life
THE SKINNY: The second J.R.C.G. album, Grim Iconic… (Sadistic Mantra), exists at the nexus of opposites and harnesses the full force of the friction this space produces. The man behind the operation, Justin R. Cruz Gallego, is from a Latino background and was born in the arid desert clime of Tuscon, Arizona, but grew up in the wind-beaten Pacific Northwest, two wildly distinct environments. This internal dissonance is what fuels this challenging but highly accomplished effort. Marrying his sunny roots with his love of punk and DIY, this fusion makes for a compelling listen.
With the album, he achieves a personally affecting force. I have a cultural background far removed from the rain-soaked East Yorkshire I grew up in and find resonance in Gallego’s tale, as will many others in the modern age, making Grim Iconic… an album perfect for our times. Blending the influence of electronic experimentalists like Oneohtrix Point Never, whom he loves, with gritty punk and his expressive drumming – heavily inspired by Latino rhythms – this convergence of markedly different realms and its constant pirouetting on the precipice of melodic refinement and complete dissonant horror is very powerful throughout.
In a world where masses of content are produced daily, with the spectre of the full roll-out of AI looming ever closer to the arts, it’s a personal but highly abstract composition. The more you engage with it, the more you get out of. Akin to the profound but immensely discombobulating films of documentarian Adam Curtis, another influence, Gallego speaks to not only his own internal stupor but that of civilisation’s present. It grapples with its past self and struggles through its technology-driven metamorphosis. Highly uncomfortable and experimental in some areas but splendidly flowing and more traditional in others, these are two antithetical sentiments inherent to the modern condition and life itself.
Considering Grim Iconic… (Sadistic Mantra) is only his second album and was conceived as a bold statement of intent, which he has accomplished with flying colours, J.R.C.G. is certainly one to keep a close eye on.
For fans of: LSD in clubs, trips to the desert in inappropriate attire and black leather monkey boots.
A concluding comment from Noam Chomsky’s psyche: “This young man rocks my world; I wonder what he thinks of Mark Fisher.”
Grim Iconic…(Sadistic Mantra) track-by-track:
Release date: August 2nd | Producer: Justin R. Cruz Gallego/Seth Manchester | Label: Sub Pop
‘Grim Iconic’: A brief but blaring opener, complete with wailing autotuned vocals and towering synth bends, its intensity prompts much anticipation for what’s in store. [3/5]
’34’: A repetitive beat commences this forceful second stop before the cacophonous elements kick in. Something akin to LCD Soundsystem if James Murphy was a proponent of LSD; it toes the line between melody and dissonance to full effect, which includes an enormous but off-kilter solo. [3.5/5]
‘Dogear’: An instant groove featuring the influences of Gallego’s Latin background, it blends fury and funk and instantly gets the toes thumping and the head bobbing. Complete with a sinister bass line and ample atmosphere, the way Gallego weaves in and out of pure darkness and celestial light is a masterstroke. The relief that the chorus provides is excellent.[4/5]
‘Drummy’: Merging a commanding drum beat and shifting rhythmic devices with the ominous industrial ooze of a synth, further melodic ones and textural dissonance, this is one of the highlights of the record. It’s a guarantee it’s perfect fodder for a live show. [4/5]
‘Liv’: I love the gothic synth line that opens this stop. The song continues to build in its narcotic but formidable way before eventually taking a sharp left turn and breaking into a heady shuffle, with expressive drums once again leading the way, supplemented by glaring synths. Both aspects then envelop each other to construct a hypnotic but appropriately menacing climax. [3.5/5]
‘Party People (Heaven)’: Another convergence of melodic elements and dystopian electronics, this track hinges on being repetitive, with its locomoting nature underpinned by the unsettling click that remains throughout the fuzzy clipping synths, Harold Budd-esque keys and clamorous guitar solo. [3.5/5]
‘Junk Corrido’: A return to more direct songwriting. Once again, Gallego pushes his music to the brink of utter atonal noise with autotune and piercing textures. With the added orchestral characters amping up the darkness, this demanding marriage between music’s past and present typifies what J.R.C.G. is all about and what makes the project so refreshing. [4/5]
‘Cholla Beat’: Perhaps the best song on Grim Iconic… Wasting no time in getting to it, this dancey blend of goth, post-punk and industrial is full of the songwriter’s character, with its captivating rhythm, catchy central melody and furious guitars. It’s exemplary in its layering and takes another surprising but utterly welcome turn in the second half. [4/5]
‘World i’: A crawling blend of Gallego’s cultural influences and his alternative ones, the closer of the album is profoundly cinematic. Psychedelic, electronic, and absolutely towering, drawing upon the force of expressive saxophones which drive it home, there is no better reflection of the songwriter’s ability than this. It’s unique and absorbing while still making the listener do the work, with that climax sublime. [4.5/5]
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