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?”
‘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.”
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”
You can get Extra Bad right now on the Generifus Bandcamp page, including on some rather nice cassettes.
Cover art by Paul Williams