Gigi’s Recovery- The Murder Capital ★★★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2023	Gigi’s Recovery	The Murder Capital	★★★★	85	Rock	Alternative Rock	Post Punk

The Murder Capital get’s the “Irish post punk band that’s a lot more creative than we thought they were” award for 2023, carrying the title that Fontaines D.C. and Shame proudly claimed the previous two years. It might not be as heavy weighty and droning as Fontaines D.C.’s Skinty Fia or as technically proficient as Shame’s Drunk Tank Pink, but The Murder Capital’s second record Gigi’s Recovery has a vast sonic reach, with lyrics that are deeper than before  compared to their grounded debut. 

Artsy is the name of the game, with songs that build, change dynamics and keys, and aren’t scared to use different sounds. Look no further than the opening song on the album, “Crying.” The song has a simple soft driving drum beat and some dramatic isolated vocals on the verses that smoothly  build with a fluttering clarinet run leading into an emotional chorus, where the drums get more intense and guitars are layered in. But each time the verse returns, these unsettling, purring guitars come in underneath that sound like you’re listening to a revving motorcycle through the propeller of a helicopter.  The guitars get louder and more violent each time they’re introduced until they finally steal the show in this grand bridge.  

Every song on Gigi’s Recovery brings something a bit different, even if it all stays firmly within the genre of post-punk.

“Return My Head” is a great, straight-forward alternative rock track with headbanging energy and a catchy chorus. “Ethel” begins with these dark bell tones and a shaky guitar part that builds to a big, heartfelt climax. The guitar and industrial percussion on “The Stars Will Leave Their Stage” give off some Nine Inch Nails vibes. “Belonging” is an eerie ambient ballad with dissonant harmonics and bells, which is followed by “The Lie Becomes The Self,” a slow, dense guitar ballad. From there, the album starts leaning a bit more into math rock, with syncopated drums and angular, hypnotic guitar riffs on “A Thousand Lives” and “Only Good Things.” The title track brings one last buildup for a grand finale before the record fades away.