Grit and images of hollow empty expanses can be conjured in thought while listening to the rock duo Polyplastic. Not No provides an introspective glance into the gritty environment of Ellis’ time on the east coast. Polyplastic’s influences in music are directly derived from frontman Charlie Ellis’ experiences working in industrial North Philadelphia, which is very apparent in the gritty and atmospheric nature of the songs on Not No. It is packed with dark intoxicating rhythm and dreamy guitar melody and vocals, to reconstruct the grit and vastness of industrial expanses. The EP also takes on noticeable influences from new-age and 80’s inspired genres. This is developed through crunchy, bass-driven, guitar riffs and spacey vocals, which allow for both the harsh environment and vast expanse of an industrial work site to come forth throughout the EP.
The gritty nature of Polyplastic’s style coupled with spacey-tinged backdrops shows up to form an enchanting release on all four tracks on Not No. The opening song “My Prescription” opens in a symmetrically sounding guitar riff with pounding drums, keeping the song to a hypnotic march. The song crescendos to a close, making an impressive impact on the listener from the onset.
Having been previously released as a single, the second track “Next Slide” offers more of a focus on lyrics, with vocally driven verses. The song creates an atmosphere fearing the unknown with lyrics such as “Next show, she’s leaving home…gotta rent a car, gotta rent a life”. This is further perpetuated through the fast-played, fuzz fueled guitar, adding another layer to the song which gives it a tint of a car speeding off down the road.
Taking an entirely different route from its predecessors on Not No, “Too Young to Drive” opens with clean, echoey, guitar allowing for a trance like effect to take hold of the song. This in turn sets up the lyrics center stage with the music intertwining in a way that makes you focus entirely on the vocalist. The final track on the EP, “Descension” opens with a funky disco-esque bass line which is coupled with a more upbeat melody to contrast with the moodier lyrics. The song provides a bit of reprieve from the gloomier bass and drums of the previous of songs to allow the EP to end on a softer note.
Although the band has no set upcoming tour dates, they have notably supported larger acts such as Wolf Alice. With this strong release it will be exciting to see further releases from Polyplastic.
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