Ergo Phizmiz ft Depresstival - Owl And Moneky Haven

Released: September 8

So, roughly two to three years ago, I was introduced to the work of Ergo Phizmiz and Depresstival in a previous release on Strategic Tape Reserve and was, well, puzzled. It was such a weird combination of influences that integrated pop sensibilities among all the weirdest tangents. Regardless, when I was sent this release, I thought to myself that it was familiar and listened out of curiosity. As soon as the first song started playing, I was laughing uncontrollably. It's not that there's any jokes here, per se. Rather, the whole album has just such a preposterous atmosphere to it. Like nothing actually makes sense but then actually does make sense in a way that is inexplicable and nonsensical. There's songs about the variety of owl species, things that the vocalist could have done if Brexit didn't happen, and a hilariously unhinged obsessive stalker. 

A favorite track of mine is "Stalker." Despite the unnerving subject matter, there is something oddly funny about hearing someone tasting the garden waste after hiding in a rubbish bin. Then we have other tracks like the pop punk inflected "My Little Father Is A Dickhead' that makes an absolute mockery and odd homage to the early punk rock sound of the early 80s and just making for an altogether weird experience. A final track of note for me was "Heartslashwallet" that samples the worst of the Spice Girls in ironic fashion while making allusions to coping with life through reckless consumerism. I really didn't know whether to laugh or cry sometimes.