No Age

Snares Like a Haircut

Rather than retreading the duo’s winning formula of ruthless hooks, primitive drums, and guitars looped into endless strata, Snares makes it bigger, brighter, and more polished than ever.

No Age’s noise was never exactly tormented, but there are times on this record when they sound almost carefree, or at least in reach of it.

At their peak, and not infrequently on Snares Like a Haircut they’re within touching distance, No Age are one of the most thrilling rock bands on this planet.

Their first album for Drag City after three on Sub Pop, Snares Like a Haircut is also No Age’s most dynamic collection by some margin—their version of a proper rock record. If its nervous system is running on hooks and speed, then its blood is sublime, sparkling noise and emotion.

Not everyone will listen to No Age and hear the gems hidden inside the fuzz. But for a certain listener – one perhaps in thrall to the alternative rock of days gone by, and looking for a modern band who recapture that spark – Snares Like A Haircut will land like manna from heaven.

This is a record that—subtly, subconsciously—offers some kind of solace while also invoking the unnerving and disquieting times we live in.

There's real gratification for the fan when an album finds a balance held by intact identity and expansion of the dimension in which it resides. Snares Like a Haircut achieves this by introducing an almost shoegaze sensibility to their galvanic art punk. The refreshing assortment is evidence that in this territory, No Age have no equal.

Snares Like a Haircut might be their most accessible and uplifting record yet; released in a time of social decay, it's a statement that rings loud and clear.

Snares Like A Haircut is a good rock album that continues No Age’s streak of making good rock albums.