by David Wilikofsky
Too Numb to Know, Profligate’s second album for the always on point Wharf Cat Records, surprises from its first notes. Helmed by Noah Anthony (also of the great Form A Log), their last album, 2018’s Somewhere Else, sat somewhere between between pop music and noise; while the songs and melodies were certainly present, they were often swathed in layers of buzzing electronics. It was a delicate balance that is noticeably absent from Too Numb To Know . On their new album, Profligate have fully embraced the pop side of their sound to create a lush and dreamy album.
Opener “Mask” is the first sign of things to come. It’s a track full of gauzy, cavernous electronics, intricate rhythms and detached vocals; there’s an icy beauty to the track that pervades the entire album. Other slower, more atmospheric tracks on the album (“My Days”, “A Little Rain”) use similar sonic palettes to equally stunning effect. On the other end of the spectrum are uptempo synth pop workouts like “Hang Up” or “No Clear Way”, both instant earworms anchored by driving beats that share the complex sonic textures of the slower tracks. There are also still traces of earlier sound explorations (for instance, you can still hear the influence of power electronics on the intro to “We Can Punish”) but as a whole the album mines new, more readily accessible sonic territory.
The album was written and recorded amidst a period of personal upheaval for Anthony, during which he moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to Cleveland. A sense of disconnection and longing pervades the album; although the lyrics are often cryptic, words and phrases that bubble to the surface reinforce the icy veneer of the music. “Mask” seems to explore the face we put on to other people that hides our true self, pondering what would happen when that mask comes off. The phrases “trust in disfunction” and “lust for disfunction” haunt the chorus of the otherwise upbeat sounding “Hang Up”. “Couldn’t count on me / See right through me / Just a few things are wrong” Anthony sings on the chorus of “Just A Few Things”. The detached beauty of many of the instrumentals (along with Anthony’s vocals) strengthen the emotional impact of these words and sustain a melancholically beautiful atmosphere throughout.
As a whole, this is a tight album that should appeal to old fans while winning over new ones. The hallmarks of Profligate’s early work bubble beneath the surface, but this album takes those ideas and twists them into pop music. It’s an album filled with catchy melodies and complex textures, equally ready for a nighttime drive as a night of quiet contemplation. It’s music worth getting lost in.