Record Label: Exact Truth
Release Date: 12th March 2021
“Glueland’ is about the inevitable feeling of being thrown onto a big pile of your own rubbish and paddling around in it like a dusty walrus” – Chris Bailey, Do Nothing, Vocalist
You’d be savvy to bet your bottom dollar (or is that ‘Zero Dollar Bill’?) on Do Nothing’s latest EP ‘Glueland’ being a direct continuation from their debut extended player, basing that on Chris Bailey’s playful yet elaborate summary above. Following on from 2020’s ‘Zero Dollar Bill EP’ (gedditt?), the Nottingham troop have readied another 5 tracks made up of awkward post-punk meandering and lyrics that spill out with an abstract stream of consciousness. Commenting further on how the EP came together, the band’s mouthpiece details an inception that sounded like all the puzzle pieces slotted together pretty easily from the off: “It came from recording situations that we felt very comfortable in, and the tedious absence of live shows meant that we could stagger in some new directions without having to make sure that it all worked onstage. Don’t worry, we made sure not to actually write about being in lockdown…because who wants to hear about that?” Bailey further embellishes on the “new directions” with the following “musically it takes a more decided, less rough around the edges approach than some of our previous material but lyrically it’s largely about being at ease with yourself, which is often tough to do.”
‘Glueland’, although not an entirely smooth as silk affair, isn’t without some of the craggy pockets found on ‘Zero Dollar Bill’. You wouldn’t go as far as saying their latest effort was polished but there’s some toning down when compared to its 2020 sibling. There’s also a calmness in places, where it really feels like Do Nothing have embraced the additional time allowed to work on new material. Kicking off with the EP’s eponymous moment, a prominent fuzz envelopes steadfast drums and a weaving razor-like guitar riff that plays 1-2’s with a lolloping bassline. Cutting the silhouette of a languid LCD Soundsystem but if James Murphy was a Nottingham lad and not from NYC. Choppy guitars and a minimal, glassy synth tone introduce ‘Uber Alles’, a song that eventually dips down to a shadowy sashay through airy drums and a dreamy sparseness. Here’s where Bailey’s random wordplay presents some gold; “it’s just one big reach around/part of the service” and “always shining like a swordfish” being the pick of the bunch. A staccato bounce and jagged guitars fuel the awkward gait of ‘Rolex’ as it totters around its own jerkiness. A juxtaposition of queasy fretwork and rapid drums, intermingled with handclaps gives ‘Knives’ some twitchy zest. A haziness wafts in and out, as Bailey ruminates “it all works out like a dream/what does assassination even mean?” We’re assuming that’s a rhetorical question?! Signing off ‘Glueland’ is the nocturnal moan of ‘Great White Way’, a track that glistens in parts and thumps in others. Bailey plunges you into an environment that sounds like a bush tucker challenge “there were worms and lizards crawling everywhere” before a jammed outro guides you towards ‘Glueland’s city limits.
Catchy yet obscure, equally rough and smooth; ‘Glueland’ is hard to define but easy to adore. There’s a lure to the EP that means you’ll be coming back for repeated listens to fathom Bailey’s peculiar lyrics or to get lost in its contorting sonic maze. Or to paraphrase the Do Nothing man to paddle through some rubbish like a dusty walrus.
Hey, thanks for reading this review of 'Glueland' - you're the best. Why not check out our 2020 introducing piece about Do Nothing while you're here?
