Generifus is a band from Olympia, Washington, led by Spencer Sult. Extra Bad is the “new (and technically sixth)” full-length from the outfit, which has seen the introduction of River Nason (drums) and Liam Hindahl (bass) to add an extra edge to what has been a primarily solo project. This, along with further changes in style (triggered in part by hand and wrist injuries suffered by Sult while skateboarding and working in a kitchen), make Extra Bad something of a fresh start.
Things open with ‘Pulled Over’, a deadbeat brand of grunge which positions itself in a pissed off zone somewhere between defiance and acceptance (“They wanna know who you are / they really wanna know who you are”). The title track follows similar style but ups the boldness, adopting the sort of rock-star posturing familiar to musicians of a byegone age (“Call me extra bad / well I don’t care I’m just doin me now”), while ‘Don’t Fall Down’ is more passive aggressive, warning a friend or lover through a series of situations.
“Don’t fall down
theres nobody here to catch you
and you’d make us sad too
and you wouldn’t want that would you?”
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‘Small Stuff’ is a cocky rock number with vocals that sound almost like something from Oasis, ‘Uncurl’ unfurls (sorry) from downtempo melancholy into a rather hectic ending, while ‘No Surprise’ wanders near Coma Cinema/Elvis Depressedly territory. ‘The Park’ sees the pace pick up with tight 80s guitars and racing percussion, like The Police writing songs about wandering, defiant teens.
“We climbed a tree to see how far we could see
but the moon was blinding and the town was dark.
Then a worker came in a pickup truck
and he took me aside to remind me they’d be closing soon.
Well fuck that, we’ll stay here forever.”
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The nostalgia doesn’t end there. ‘Wiped Out’ is Britpop meets US rock, as if The Stone Roses had gone through a plaid phase and taken up skating, while ‘Don’t Turn Away’ is again reminiscent of Oasis and ‘Outer Line’ is a washed out slow burning grunge hit:
“The whole wide world is waiting, they talk all the time.
Outer lines fading, so take all you want.
I’m hoping now time has gone, you’ll find out you can”
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You can get Extra Bad right now on the Generifus Bandcamp page, including on some rather nice cassettes.
Cover art by Paul Williams