Self-Checkout Renaissance released its second album on March 3, 2023. This album is as fun, danceable and punk as the last one but has many new experiences to offer.
This album is the first to come from the current line-up of the band, and it takes on a unique new sound of its own that shows the chemistry between band members.
“A WASP’s Guide to Ideology”
This song starts off with a quote from George Bush where he calls people to stop terrorism then says “Now watch this drive” before golfing.
The title references the term “WASP” which means White Anglo-Saxon person which implies a relationship to an upper-middle-class member of dominant, normalized American culture.
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The song itself features wonderfully done lyrics from both vocalists and includes a descent into chaos at the end as they both scream incoherently. The addition of the keyboard into the main riff of the song is a nice touch, and it adds more texture to the music.
“Kyle vs All of Christendom”
This song is accurately named. It immediately opens with the lead singer’s rambled criticisms against the entity of “Christendom.”
Again, this song seems to continue with a similar theme from the previous song targeting the upper class, WASP ideology that has become such a dominant force in American politics.
The spoken verse breaks into the chorus as the vocals become growled and forced when lead singer Kyle Buchanan says, “God gave his only son, it’s your turn now! The holy land wont retake itself!” which sets off an explosion into the main chorus and its explosive punk sound.
“Oedipus Part Two”
This song references the Greek myth of Oedipus where a man kills his father and marries his mother which fulfills a prophecy given at birth.
The lyrical meaning isn’t really decipherable besides the shouted “You want some! Come get some!” of the chorus, but the vocals include some amazing low growls from Buchanan that add to the higher vocals guitarist Josh Higdon delivers.
“Ideological State Apparatus Blues”
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The drums here immediately draws the listener into the song as they are a tight, danceable beat that brings a lot of fun into the song.
The synths here are another highlight as they take the forefront during the verse with some funky noises that make the band unique from other punk bands in Baton Rouge.
“Machiavellian Marxist”
This song appears to be about defining what it means to truly be a Marxist in modern times to me. The title itself represents a Marxist who is “machiavellian” in nature which is a reference to the Italian diplomat, Machiavelli.
A machiavellian person is defined as someone who is “cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics,” so a Marxist of this nature must be someone who is scheming and not truly what they seem politically.
The synths perfectly balance over the explosive guitars here while still making room for some quieter parts to take in the bass in its glory. This song makes room for all instruments and benefits from that.
“You are Nothing without the Indie Cred”
The title here made me think of old emo songs with comically long titles at first, but musically, it is definitely not that.
The bass is the main attractor here and provides a strong structure to the song that when combined with the synth makes the verses almost feel psychedelic as they draw the listener in.
“Mail Manipulator”
The guitar riff is a fun, danceable riff that immediately grabs the audience. The title is an interesting play on words where the popular term “male manipulator” is changed to “mail manipulator” as a reference to voter fraud and mail manipulation.
“The Medical Gaze”
This track was the single released early off the album and it continues with the political theme. The song is a reference to the concept of the medical gaze that was first coined by the philosopher Michel Foucault.
“It refers to the idea that doctors and the medical industrial complex possess a power over your bodily autonomy and will use it to oppress people, more specifically marginalized peoples,” the group explained. “Exploitation of marginalized bodies by the medical industrial complex is something that not too many bands are really discussing, so we felt the need to write about it.”
Self Checkout Renaissance performing at MidCity Ballroom
“Landlord Elimination Matrix”
This song is a lot of fun in a live environment. It features a lengthy buildup of quiet blowing wind, soft guitars, and a chilling synth.
At the album release party, the band had the entire room sit on the floor as the intro played and everyone made blowing sounds to contribute to the wind sound effects.
The song then leads into a soft verse but explodes with energy during the chorus as Buchanon releases his most growly vocals on the whole album. When played live, this created the biggest mosh I had seen in the entire concert as the entire room was filled with energy and immediately came crashing into each other.
As for the lyrics and message, the band doesn’t shy away from a provocative statement about landlords and their place in society with lyrics like “If you raise the rent, I’ll put your head on a stake.”
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