No Fun At All – Grit
The return of punk rock to prominence in the 1990s brought with it a number of acts that still remain household names to this day, still capable of headlining large festivals and venues (mainly the poppier acts such as Green Day, blink-182, and, to a lesser extent, The Offspring). Whilst the scene that brought them to public eye in America exploded into the mainstream worldwide, a similar subculture was swelling across the pond. The impact on punk was less substantial, but a number of great acts popped up across Europe, with Sweden having more than their fair share. That’s right, not only did the Swedes give us all sorts of incredible extreme metal in the ’90s, they also delivered the punk rock goods as well. Millencolin were undoubtedly the most successful, but the likes of Satanic Surfers and No Fun At All (NFAA) also played their part. NFAA aren’t as prominent now as they were in their heyday, with the subject of this review, Grit, being only their sixth album since 1994, and their first for a decade.
I’ll be honest and say I was not overly familiar with No Fun At All until quite recently. At the time, I had been getting a lot of mileage out of my Bad Religion and Pennywise albums, and was on the hunt for any bands that were relatively similar. I stumbled across “Spirit”, the first single Grit, and gave it a shot. Before the song was even over, I knew I had to delve into their back catalogue, and their music soon became a staple in my pre work listening sessions in the weeks that followed. Grit subsequently turned up in the Midlands Metalhead review pool not long after, so naturally I was happy to give it a spin and see what’s what with the band in 2018.
It’s pleasing to say that NFAA are still in good health, despite a decade away from the studio and a few line up changes. Their creative edge has not dulled, and they throttle through 12 tracks in next to no time; clearly still possessing the fervourous hunger of their younger days, if not the irrepressible youthful vigour. Songs are tightly written, with a judged brevity that allows the music to fully develop despite the short running times of many tracks. They all chug along nicely, usually at a brisk pace, although there are a handful of tempo changes that allow for a bit of variation. This may be a drawback for some who will see the album as too one dimensional, and this is a valid concern, but I feel the overall strength of the song writing overcomes this, because they pretty much have the formula nailed down.
And boy, do they nail it down on Grit. There’s not a second wasted and nary an opportunity missed, from the opening seconds of the aforementioned “Spirit” to the closing moments of “You’re in Control”. Guitarists Mikael Danielsson and Frederik Eriksson weave riffs and melodies together to forge a harmonious sonic punch that is both heavy and very easy on the ear. The interplay between the two is fantastic, regardless of whether they’re playing off each other or doubling up to bulk up the riffs. You could pick holes in the technical proficiency of Ingermar Jansson’s voice, but there’s little to fault with his delivery; his inflections and intonations expertly warding off monotony with countless memorable vocal lines, whilst rhythm duo Kjell Ramstedt and Stefan Bratt do their job with the minimum of fuss, providing a fluid percussive drive that provides suitable grounding for everyone else to work their magic. The five are all on the same page throughout, and the results are largely outstanding, with “Fortunate Smile” the only song that failed to really grab me.
I’m sure there’s been plenty of reviews, articles and the like that point out the irony of No Fun At All’s moniker, seeing as they are the exact opposite of what the name suggests, but it is worth reiterating time and again: these guys make really good music. Like many of their albums before, Grit is an absolute blast; a finely tuned 35 minutes of punk that should satiate all but the fussiest of fans. If this is your sort of thing, I strongly suggest you seek this out on release day (if you weren’t already planning on doing so). Let’s just hope that it doesn’t take another decade for a follow up if NFAA choose to venture into the studio again somewhere down the line.
Highlights: “Spirit”, “Forth”, “A Wonderful Affair”
Find more on No Fun At All here:
Grit is available on April 13th via Bird Attack Records, and can be purchased here.
