Death Grips-Year Of The Snitch Review
After months of speculation, cryptic easter eggs, and the band’s most bizarre cover art yet, Death Grip’s Year Of The Snitch has finally arrived, bursting into the band’s discography as possibly their most off-the-wall and experimental release to date. Considering the brief yet impactful legacy of the band, bringing forth releases including the electronic hip-hop masterwork The Money Store, the chaotic double album The Powers That B, and 2016’s excellent Bottomless Pit in the span of just eight years, Snitch further proves the talent of members Stefan Burnett, Zach Hill, and Andy Morin in continuing to innovate and genre-blend like no other current music collective is able to.
The opener “Death Grips Is Online”, a reference to an unprovoked tweet-turned-meme from 2017, is an early indication of the unorthodox mixing style found across the album. Frontman Burnett/MC Ride’s vocals are buried under layers of drums and guitar from multi-instrumentalist Hill, alongside plucky electronic production and sampling from Morin, adding up to a heavy contrast from his standard in-your-face delivery on earlier albums (even utilized on recent tracks like “Eh” ). The distortion closing the track transitions slickly into “Flies”, one of the album’s early singles which utilizes a swathe of swelling production and radical mixing, accompanying Ride’s morbid and self-analytical lyrics. “Black Paint”, one of the strongest tracks on Snitch, is a full-blown heavy metal endeavor, battling between destructive guitar riffs and cavernous vocals referencing The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black”.
The production on “Linda’s In Custody” evokes the feeling of an out of tune organ combined with an early-access rhythm game, added onto by demonic vocals and jarring record-scratching from guest DJ Swamp. The track may be the biggest enigma on the entire project, raising endless questions on the song’s subject in addition to its place as a sonic black sheep. “The Horn Section”, while just an instrumental detour, features one of the most impressive electronic passages on the album. The following “Hahaha” is an early standout of the project, channeling the instrumental of a distorted videogame soundtrack via winding guitars and deflated howls, in addition to some of Ride’s most memorable lines (“It’s my Liberace starter kit”/”Repulsive as a benched Knick”). “Streaky”, the album’s primary single, acts as a break from the heavier moments of the album. In addition to being the biggest earworm on the album, the bouncy production and layered vocals(“ Don’t throw it on the ground, yuh/Take me to the bank, certified amount”) further adds to the uniqueness of Snitch.
“Dilemma” features an unexpected spoken word introduction from Shrek director Andrew Adamson (“I’m in the studio with Death Grips. They have a dilemma, but they’ll win their dilemma”), built upon by 80’s style synths and garage rock guitar that emanate the feeling of a desert caravan ala Mad Max: Fury Road. Ride’s lyrical references are more scattered on this track than any other, including shintoism, mineral patina, and a jack slide. “Little Richard” features robotic vocals and amped-up chords, adding to a haunting yet vaporwave-like aesthetic, while “The Fear” features the band’s first major entry into jazz production amidst discussions on suicide and mental sickness. The closing track “Dissapointed” sounds like the long lost sequel to Exmilitary’s Takyon, poking fun at the post-release angst displayed by fans and critics alike. Ghastly vocals, breakneck drumming from Hill, and unholstered screaming from Ride give the record an unadulterated finish, a vast contrast to the song’s subject matter.
Due to it’s seemingly endless thematic ideas, multifaceted production and instrumental choices, and cultic background, Year of the Snitch remains an incredibly difficult album to dissect. Some fans have already labeled the project “Death Grips’ Trout Mask Replica”, a well fitting description for such a unique album coming from a band both impossible to replicate and predict. Past ideas from the group’s discography are sprinkled throughout Snitch, such as the heavy production from Powers and synthetic chords of Store, but the end result is unprecedented, unhinged, and boundary-pushing.
