PABST - DEUCE EX MACHINA
Rosie shares her thoughts on the latest Pabst release, Deuce Ex Machina, and lets you know whether she thinks you should listen or not.
Berlin based grunge trio, Pabst, release their sophomore album, Deuce Ex Machina right in midst of the madness 2020 has had to offer so far. Having made over 30 festival appearances in 2019 alone and supported acts like Bob Mould and Kadavar on tour, Pabst have really started to establish a firm fan base with over 115,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Brimming with distorted guitars and vocals next to sarcastic, angry lyrics, Deuce Ex Machina is set to make a lasting impression.
Deuce Ex Machina is based on the concept that modern developments in Berlin create a significant divide between rich and poor, lowering the quality of life for young people. “High fluctuation determines the city scape and the housing market, with more and more furnished apartments being built. If you want to live somewhere, you often have to compete with hundreds…”
The first track ‘Machina’ defines the tone instantly with a loud, gnarly riff and dark lyrics. “Say the magic word and I’ll make you disappear / I’m the machine, when everyone’s dead I feel alive”. ‘Machina” explores the concept of fighting a broken system and turning it around to work in the power of the people as if to say, “I’m the machine now”. An instantly powerful introduction to the album.
‘Skyline’ discusses this concept further in specific regards to Berlin. With sarcastic lyrics spat over screeching riffs “I hope that all the money was well spent. this city’s no place for losers like us.” Suggesting that vital things like independent venues, affordable housing and public services have been neglected while the money is spent on other things to profit those who are already wealthy, and that because they don’t belong to that class, they are deemed “losers”. This threatens smaller, independent artists like Pabst. They explain, ‘Many clubs and other cultural venues have to close because their rental contracts are passed on to the highest bidder…’ ‘My Apocalypse’, the last track on the album, takes it down a notch with a dreamy vocal style, subtle guitar riffs and heavier bass line, borrowed from indie-rock influences.
What starts off as a potentially uplifting track, soon becomes a moment of personal realization about the effects of living in this city has had on mental health. “ I feel like half a man and I’ve been struggling, puppet on a string.” The idea that control is soul destroying in that you’re pouring so much of yourself into something that doesn’t care for you in the slightest, and as the last track, it rounds off the truth that this broken system eventually breaks and consumes you for its own personal gain. The album then comes to an abrupt end when you’re least expecting it, much like life itself. And that’s what we miss out on, when we are so caught up with being part of the machine.
Pabst have truly outdone themselves with Deuce Ex Machina. It has strong political themes of the problems going on in their home city, and each track flows together to tell a story with a valuable message about exploitation and capitalism and the detrimental effects it has on your well-being. The lyrics conveying this certainly leave food for thought and make a defining statement. It’s exciting to see smaller bands stand out as much as Pabst, giving high hopes for their future in music, young people are the voices of our future and necessary to make changes and fight these broken and unfair systems.
Rosie Chalk
★★★★☆