Cazimi: Something For The Pain

Self Released

CD / Stream

Out 5th December

Buy Here

North East powerhouse Cazimi come roaring back with their second studio album. Something For The Pain grabs you by the nether regions and never loosens its grip from beginning to end.

Generally described as post-punk, Cazimi are a band which, at times, displays enough anger and energy to drop the ‘post’ bit altogether, while demonstrating ample nuance, creativity and imagination to suggest much older and wider influences are also at play. By way of reference, the most common comparison (one they happily acknowledge) is Killing Joke, and there are far worse ones which could be made. There’s no denying that Ian Hedley’s vocal on opener and lead single, the brooding Foul Play, is reminiscent of mid-period Jaz Coleman, and as the tension builds, the chord progressions of the intense follow-up, Panacea, hint at Geordie’s wall of sound. But the likeness is passing, and the further you delve into Something For The Pain, the less you think about anyone else as you are drawn deeper into the Cazimi zone in its own right.

The third track, Higher, is a pulsating rocker driven by Drew Gallon’s pounding bass, the deceptively energising chorus contrasting with the seething delivery of the verses, while Every Story (Three Sides) is an untypically mellow couple of minutes which is as close to indie territory as Cazimi get. Throughout the album there is a recurring sense of dread, with the finger pointed squarely at the avarice of our power-hungry leaders and the wilful deception of those who see truth as a mere inconvenience. The atmospheric Siren Song showcases the band’s ability to tackle such weighty subjects with subtlety without resorting to the sledgehammer approach, a trend continued by the moody, foreboding Dark Money. Tell Me is a maniacal reggae-tinged fairground ride as our heroes take a swipe at one of our glorious leaders – no names, but if the cap fits…

‘Paper tiger has promised us jam,
His acting is phoney, we know it’s a sham.
But the people love his boyish looks,
Incurvesco, he’s read many books.’

A Signal keeps up the pace, an 80s-drenched call for solidarity in the face of common enemies which, with another rousing chorus, is surely a future single contender. The Party (At The End Of Time), with regimented bass, Gary Binns’ tribal beats, chanted chorus and mediaeval-sounding instrumentation, is an apocalyptic tour de force – possibly the album highlight. Cazimi were never going to play out with a lullaby, as we’re instead treated to the thunderous Coming Home, the most introspective and enigmatic track, the force of which is tempered only by the haunting, Western-infused riff.

One of the joys of Something For The Pain is its refusal to let up as track after track engages the listener on every level, be that musically, emotionally or intellectually. And despite the overwhelming mood of impending doom, a sensation of sitting on the precipice with nobody to catch our fall, this is far from a depressing listen. The memorable choruses, dark humour and grim defiance, not to mention a refusal to sacrifice the niceties of melody in favour of brute force, combine to make this a thoroughly absorbing body of music. Cazimi may not be a household name as yet, but it is definitely one to keep firmly on your radar.

Cazimi’s Linktree

Photo supplied by band

All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin for Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.