My experiences with Gen Z have fallen into two categories. Either they display a (very understandable) apathy and general disconnect from the world, or they operate with such intensity and desire for change that I feel briefly inspired myself. Die Spitz falls completely into the latter. The quartet, made of 22-year-olds from Austin, Texas, are practically daring you to underestimate them. They’re young, all female, and clearly having a fucking great time on stage, which tends to enrage a lot of audiences. They are technically clean, crazy energetic, and pissed the fuck off. That is an intoxicating combination to witness, and I think they are the best act in the punk scene currently. This excerpt from the bio on their website captures the general vibe well:
‘If the world of rock music were an ice cream shop, the Austin quartet have sampled each flavor, flipped the freezer over, and started dancing with the employees they helped unionize.’
God dammit, why didn’t I write that?
Something To Consume is a powerhouse of a debut full-length, sitting somewhere between grunge, metal, and punk, exploring all three sounds while managing to still be cohesive. This tension – between experimentation and harmony – is the core magic trick of the album. It manages to do a lot of interesting shit sonically while staying within a relatively limited palette. “Punishers” could have been a 90s grunge radio hit, with a melancholy chorus emphasized by drummer Chloe De St. Aubin’s mournful singing. “Red40” feels like a more classically punk ripper. “Voir Dire” goes heavy on the acoustic guitar and shows us a fleeting glimpse into what a more country Die Spitz could do.
But all of these tracks are inherently guitar-driven and incredibly earnest in terms of the lyrics. There are songs about junk food, songs about the monotony of depression, and songs about the shitty, stupid relationships you get in when you’re 22. Something To Consume shines when it is able to stray from a central sound and theme, but never so far that it feels disconnected. That’s impressive as all hell.
It’s hard to resist the urge to be parasocial about this band, but it feels better knowing that much of their marketing and story actually revolves around their real, genuine friendships with each other. Ava Schrobilgen and Ellie Livingston were childhood friends, meeting Kate Halter in middle school and later Chloe De St. Aubin. This sense of community is obvious both at the literal song level with anthems like the Motörhead-esque “RIDING WITH MY GIRLS” and at the meta-level as well, considering that frankly, they all seem to play pretty much everything and sing as well in a revolving door of musicianship.
The vocals are a huge part of Something To Consume’s success, in my opinion, due to their variety, uniqueness, and absolute raw power. It may feel cliché to compare Schrobilgen to Courtney Love, but Hole’s influence on this record cannot be overstated. Her impressive false chord growls and disaffected grunge delivery really shine on tracks like “American Porn”, and her rage feels immediate and palpable without tipping the scales into full-on death metal land. Livingston’s retro approach works well on the record’s more 80s thrashy numbers, notably the cocky lead single “Throw Yourself to the Sword”. And, as mentioned, De St. Aubin’s solos bring a more melodic tone, which helps widen the LP’s scope a bit, dipping into somewhat mainstream alternative rock.
This may be a nitpick, but my only criticism of Something to Consume is the production on a single track, which I hope makes it clear how much I adored this thing. The vocals on “Sound to No One” are buried quite low, especially in contrast with the rest of the album. It feels a bit like an oversight as opposed to an intentional decision – and they’ve played with this sort of thing before, leaving the haunting screams on “I hate when GIRLS die” quiet in the mix. But in that case, it adds to the otherworldly, terrifying nature of the song, letting the fat riffs do the talking. Here it comes across as just an odd choice, or even a mastering error. Alas.
Despite my brief whining, I really can’t recommend this album enough. It’s a rare feat for such a green band to hit the ground running while still building on their small existing catalog. I am also suddenly very hungry for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
