VENENÖ is possibly the most underrated punk band in NYC right now. Consisting of members of 45 ADAPTERS, THE NEW YORK HOUNDS and many more, their sound is definitely rooted in skin music but unique and well-executed. It is tonally situated not far from the current realm of more melodic Oi!-adjacent bands that draw inspiration from post-punk like THE CHAMELEONS and later BLITZ (think CHAIN CULT or HOME FRONT), but more gruff and grounded. Where those bands feel sonically large and scaled up, bordering on TEARS FOR FEARS style 80s stadium pop at times, VENENÖ's demo captures a characteristic introspective melody while still very much sounding like a 3-piece playing in a small room. In that sense they are very true to roots and inspired by the lineage of French Oi! like CAMERA SILENS or SYNDROME 81.
I don't think any one thing quite hits it on the head though. They operate in a middle space between styles, the songs - the drums in particular - are full of nuance, subtlety and care, and yet it doesn't meander or claim to be more than it is. I really enjoying watching them play live. They are excellent musicians and I like the interplay of the two singers. I am very excited to see what they do next because I feel like some of that stuff could get fleshed out in even cooler ways in future recordings.
FFO: Camera Silens, Syndrome 81
Fav track: A Beber
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