Review Summary: Bomb that damn music industry already
Nick Hertzberg and Bryan Batiste aren't big on equivocation.
The Payoff, the most recent release from their band These Branches on DIY label Kat Kat records, doesn't exactly leave a lot of (if any) space for it. Less than a dozen minutes are burned as the duo utilize their blitzkrieg approach to blast through four punch-packing tracks of raw, unfiltered punk rock. Not a single breath is squandered on
The Payoff while Hertzberg and Batiste effectively voice their discontent on anything from sleazy band promotors and manipulative friends to the uncompromising expectations of society. It's made quite clear that the system just isn't working for them, and the release marks the twosome's most recent effort to alter that fact.
No aspect of
The Payoff is without purpose and conviction; the instrumentation is driven and straightforward, no further profundities lie dormant beneath obscure and flowery songwriting. These Branches simply hide nothing in their music. Closing track 'Purest', arguably the EP's defining moment, leaves the listener with something really worth thinking about in its opening line of "
why are our wings clipped?"
The Payoff isn't about punk rock scenes and tight jeans, it's about banding together in the spirit of solidarity and hoping the selfish ones asphyxiate on their Christian Dior.
When all the dust and finger-pointing settles, it becomes clear that something bigger than disappointment lies beneath the tracks on
The Payoff. As the grievances regarding a disillusioned industry and failed relationships are sequentially aired, it's obvious that these two are absolutely loving their roles as condemners. With every ounce of dissatisfaction on the EP comes an equitable amount of satisfaction - the sort of gratification that goes hand in hand with being unequivocally in love with what you do every day. That's exactly what Hertzberg and Batiste are doing with their time here. For these kids, every waking moment is an opportunity to make music with friends, and the attitude on
The Payoff reflects this. They've paid their dues to an oppressive society. Well this is the sound of those dues paying back.
