QWAM

Feed Me [EP] (2018)

John Gentile

Feed Me is QWAM’s second EP and finds the group stretching their wings. Their debut, Queen with a Microphone was a punk-as-hell record that straddled between the flighty speed of the Avengers and the grimy crunch of Flipper. To answer that release’s blustery attack, the band yanks back on the reigns on Feed Me and focuses more on texture than frantic rage.

No doubt, the centerpiece here is “Crazier Than Me.” A four minute mini-epic that recalls the powerful, fractured tones of Hole and Garbage, the song finds singer Felicia Lobo showing just how much she’s capable off. Lobo is able to bend a circular melody around a guitar that switches between grunge crunching and goth creepiness, all while showing that she’s got pipes and style. Likewise, she’s a natural storyteller, detailing a corrupt relationship that appears to be detrimentally parasitic. It’s fatalistic and fun, for sure.

The release does have a few moments that are straight up punk rippers. “Glitter Paint” could fit next to any track on the first Damned or Bikini Kill LP, to give you an idea of where this band builds themselves up from. “Doggie Door” rushes by in flashes of zapping riffs and banging drums. The musical backing here is simple and effective, which is like most great punk. Lobo is faced with squaring off against snappy licks and responds by interjecting her own attitude, which alternates between I-don’t-take-any-shit and I’m-not-feeling-well, which also is like most great punk.

The band has reached beyond their initial sketches and have gone to new places that are surprisingly fitting. There’s more reflection and contemplation before, and probably a bit more revelation, than the blind rage and destruction of their first LP. That being said, I did somewhat miss the furious charge of tracks like “Pedal to the Metal” and “Everyone hates you.” Yet, I certainly did not miss them due to the inclusion of the new material- I’d like to have it all at once as the full course meal. If the band is able to cut a LP that includes both the styles from their first and second LP, we’re talking an album of the year contender here, people.