The strength of God Ribbon is the lyrics, both in terms of recording quality and STFUUMF's style: clear articulation but with passionate delivery. There's something about the subtle reverb and timbre that feels very XTC-adjacent late-80s pre-Radiohead vibes. That said, the acoustic guitar is mixed in a very satisfying, almost Jim O'Rourkian, way. I listened to some Padlock Wonderland, too, and found it scratched a kinda Britpop itch I didn't know I had.
Would it be rash to say God Ribbon is the Brighton Pile? "Ego" certainly elicits the same kind of pathos that Rick Maguire achieves. Where God Ribbon excels though is the varied musical influences that insulate it from easy categorization. I keep coming back for repeated listens because the varied rhythmic elements and assured tones feels really composed (in a good way). This is a project that knows when to restrain the reverb, knows how to make a lyric fit a melody, and still experiments with interesting unconventional drum machine and synth effects.
Check out "Driving With My Eyes Closed" for a very carefully-constructed soundscape under vocals that feel like Arab Strap cared more about being intelligible.
Even going back to "Oinker," God Ribbon understands how to place sounds in a mix, and I appreciate how this music sounds on headphones, hi-fi speakers, and my dumb little computer speakers. I feel like that's missing from a lot of independent releases. Kudos for a musician that cares about the engineering.