Lately, it feels like we all need a strong reminder that cyberpunk is more than just neon lights, tall buildings, and dark alleys. Just as cyber as it is punk, Generation Zero brings something fundamental that's largely lost in contemporary interpretations of the genre, an honest lashing out against repression through that futuristic aesthetic.
The highly distorted computer sounds on the first track bring me in initially. Track three, Street Queens sets up a compelling robot groove, and the call and response vocals on track four, Coercion Control remind me fondly of Sun Ra's masterpiece Nuclear War. There's an electric but dark gritty energy to the whole album that feels just right.
I found the mixing overall came across muddy. Not muddy in a cool punk way, but in a way that made it difficult to appreciate at times. Which I think is a shame, because the sound selection was consistently interesting.
There's a simplicity and directness to the lyrics that I found quite refreshing. I'm reminded of one of my favorite works of poetry "We real cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks. The vocal performance however doesn't bring the requisite confidence to deliver these lyrics in the impactful way that I believe they were intended to be heard.
I'm left conflicted. Conflicted between something I really want to hear, something that's genuinely there just under the surface, something I believe the artist wanted me to hear, and what I actually heard. Overall, if you’re someone like me that’s excited to see the genre tags “queercore” and “cyberpunk”, then there's definitely enough good here to be worth your time, and I suspect the rough edges will soften significantly with repeated listening.