Review

You may not expect much from a band that bills itself as making “music for losers.” But if the band is Child Bite, there are a few things you can bank on – and foremost among them is mania (a truth from which I assume their new EP “Monomania” plucked its name). You have only to watch the music video for “The Nab Munch is on” off of “Monomania” to understand visually what Child Bite does in the sonic sense. In it, a man writhes in agony, neon paint splatters, blood drips and the man is strangled as the music crashes and careens. As a psychological disorder, monomania is characterized by an unnatural fixation on or zeal for a single idea. And on this EP, that idea is a dark one indeed.

Front man Shawn Knight’s vocal style, and the band’s style as a unit, seems to take cues from the Captain Beefheart school of oddity above all else. A healthy dose of Iggy and the Stooges brand raw power pulsing through in the driving guitars makes itself felt as well. Their fixation on notions of fear and violence is evident in visceral song titles like “Smear Where the Face Was” and “Scum Gene.” Electronic squeaks and squeals also make their mark throughout “Monomania.” The drums come as huge explosions which, coupled with the electronic elements, give the effect of the whole song seeming to spark and ignite.

“Monomania” is a mere six songs long and lacks the moments of melodicism present on 2010’s “Gold Thriller.” This need not be seen as a negative, as it lends the album a slightly unhinged feeling that captures thrillingly the madness of their live shows.




About the Author

Jasmine Zweifler