Spectreview: NO/NO – Diagnostic

-DARK ORANGE-

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Milwaukee’s own NO/NO garnered attention back in 2016 based on the strength of their solidly-built debut, and on their second full-length they continue to not fuck around, adding a twist of darkwave and a smattering of guitar textures into the fray. The cleverly named Diagnostic benefits greatly from this new interest in roughing up the edges, as much of this record focuses on personal searching and the propulsion of tracks like “The Whistleblower” and “Gutterfly” helps the band feel confident in its assertions. It helps that the band sounds better than ever thanks to guitarist Harrison Colby’s in-house production chops; the guitars, when not taking the lead, are squeezed for every last bit of background texture, while the drums are boosted overall to help the album land harder. As a vocalist, Cat Ries recalls both Kim Deal’s cake-like pop vocals during the album’s more forceful moments (“The Last Thing You Said”; “Factory Reset”) as well as Victoria LeGrand’s resonant contralto on darker songs like “A Constant State of Flux.” As always, it’s great to see a band add new elements into a working formula so successfully, and in leaning into a rougher, harsher sound, NO/NO trek the path of evolution gracefully.

Recommended for trampolines after dark.