It Already Does That. a fungus

Not everyone can play Champions League. Next, ask fans of e.g. Rangers FC, Eintracht Frankfurt, A.S Roma or Feyenoord how much fun playing the final of a lower league is. Enter a fungus. The band is not the champions league of alternative rock from the Netherlands. Certainly it does belong to the very talented and interested runners up. This new band simply does a lot of things not just right but so nice as well. A foray into canalizing noise It Already Does That Is.

Four piece a fungus (no capitals) is a young band releasing its first album, after a double a-side single 'Trace/Health'. Both songs can be found on the eight song mini album. What are similarities with the bands that in the past few years have been popping up as if there's no lessening interest in alternative music? They are easy to point out. Almost all chords, riffs and solo notes sound as if they are on the edge of being off key. The delicate process of making it fit anyway is almost mathematical as keeping time must be. A lot in this music appears or even is counter-intuitive, so involves a lot of concentration and continuous counting while playing.

There are also differences. a fungus is more experimental and allows noise eruptions that step outside of the alternative rock idiom. A band like black midi is mentioned as an influence and I can only underscore that mention. The explosions of sound make the music unpredictable and allows a fungus to do anything in a live situation, as it opens the door to improvisations (with potential deafening result for band and audience).

What It Already Does That shows in my opinion, is the courage of this new band. It has nothing to loose and gives the world what it wants to give to it and not what a potential audience may expect. If there is compromise on this album, it will be between the four members and not much else. I'd say this is exactly what the band wants us to hear. As a result, a song may get out of hand for a short while. To compensate we get an intro to 'A Ride'. This is as soft as it gets though. What 'A Ride' shows is a totally different side to a fungus. Including the chance to hear the intricate way the rhythms and leads are crafted by the band. They do not drown out here. In a song like 'Is This The Right Structure?', that also has soft moments, there are loud eruptions, more characteristic for a fungus.

Despite fishing, in a general way, in the same pond, also a fungus manages to carve out a nice niche for itself. Deep, deep down The Velvet Underground is there, of course.1980s post punk is a part of the music, as is grunge. Stir that and out comes the new NL alternative rock scene. There seems to be an enormous reservoir of young musicians working in this niche within a niche, creating incredibly interesting and rich music, that is limitless in its inventiveness. a fungus settles in nicely with an album showing lots of promise towards more.

Wout de Natris

You can order It Already Does That here:

https://subroutine.nl/product/a-fungus-it-already-does-that-sr113-lp/