Album review: The St Pierre Snake Invasion – Galore

Just when you think you have the measure of Galore, you’re rudely reminded that, actually, no, you don’t. The third full-length from Bristol five-piece The St Pierre Snake Invasion begins with the heavy, irregular rhythms of Kracked Velvet, a track that feels like a handful of songs in one, all of which are slightly overlapping each other. Its intense and unrelenting arrhythmic groove feels like the headache of a monumental hangover, yet becomes increasingly and bizarrely soothing as the track progresses – despite the barks of frontman Damien Sayell and the coruscating instrumentation that surrounds it.

From there, everything is fair game, and the band embark on this new idiosyncratic musical adventure where math-rock meets desert rock meets experimental ambience meets industrial experimentation. Midas, The Overlook and the title-track weave in and out of themselves, daring the listener to try to figure out what’s coming next. The joy is that that’s impossible, even after multiple listens, something new always seems to emerge from the fabric of these songs. Whether that’s the powerful pulsating sneer of Every Sun, the laidback, loungey grungy vibes of Midas, the portentous Apex Prey or the erratic, quietly violent robotic pulse of That There’s Fighting Talk, which is one continuous crescendo that just gets weirder and weirder as it implodes and explodes at the same time.

Needless to say, this isn’t easy music. Nor is it meant to be. It’s meant to challenge the listener, make them think about what it makes them feel, make them truly feel what they’re thinking. These are visceral emotions given tangible form and brought to life in deep opposition to the silent nature of thought.

As the album reaches its tortured, twisted end with the churning, irascible cynicism of I Pray To Liars, it feels, somewhat ironically, like the headache is lifting. In truth, it’s probably only getting worse.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Queens Of The Stone Age , Future Of The Left, Nine Inch Nails

Galore is out now via Church Road