Album Review: Amyl and The Sniffers- Cartoon Darkness

On their third studio album, Australian rockers Amyl and The Sniffers put reality in check with a peppy touch. With incredible vocals and little instrumental flourishes, Cartoon Darkness provides a glint of comedy in real life.

The opening song, “Jerkin’,” comes out with guns blazing, swear words attacking at every angle. But the lyrics are highly entertaining; comparing a particular intimate act with someone who continually spreads around negative energy is a very different picture than seen before. Guitarist Declan Mehrtans provides a catching melody that keeps those lyrics at center stage.

Something must be said for vocalists who easily blend a spoken word style with a catchy melody. Lead vocalist Amy Taylor fits that bill perfectly.

Her vocal blend goes back in forth between fellow Aussie Courtney Barnett and Mannequin Pussy’s Missy Dabice. “It’s Mine” takes on the latter and almost sounds like a much more contained version of Mannequin Pussy’s “Ok? Ok! Ok? Ok!” without the mid-song breakdowns.

Taylor’s gritty vocals are filled with emotion on every beat and occasionally act like a tiny percussion switch. “Doing In Me Head” is the first place we see Taylor sing, albeit briefly, before the spoken word comes back. Taylor could use her vocals more often to help create a deeper sound, but it’s good for now.

However, the best track on the album has to be one of its lead singles, “Chewing Gum.” This song makes no sense and opens up a whole new train of thought at the same time. The gum metaphor can only go so far as a metaphor for being stuck in someone’s head and having them stuck on you.

But Taylor comes up with new situations that keep the mind turning. It all feels like being stuck on a shoe or pinned to a corkboard.

“I was young and in desire/ I’m a winner!/ Can you put your heart down there?/ Are you with me?”

Overall, Amyl and The Snifflers created a pretty fun album. Sometimes, it can be confusing and hard to decipher, but the album seems to become an earworm over time. There’s another sticking metaphor that won’t get lost like pins or gum.