NOT WONK "This Ordinary"
A new punk scene has begun to thrive in the Japanese underground. Some of the key figures behind it are a trio in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, who blare a punk sound with scorching young fervour. A year after their epic debut album, which contained 17 songs, "This Ordinary" sees the NOT WONK clearly scaling up with 12 satisfying tracks. Maintaining The Drums-informed reverberated sound design and Cloud Nothings-esque noisy timbre, it is a singular piece with great originality where tension of post-hardcore co-exists with release of 80s guitar pop. The wonderfully dizzy development of "On This Avenue" and the flow of the album’s mid-section from "Older Odor" that features the avid, freaky, lengthy guitar solo to the following title track "This Ordinary," that exudes a sense of freedom, are especially remarkable; With the delivery of the vocals somewhat theatrical, the album shares a similar atmosphere with the early Radiohead, suggesting a good omen for a promising band that will turn into a big gun.
