Prostitute – 2024
★★★★☆
One of the punchiest debuts of the decade.
It’s rare for a noise rock/post-hardcore band to make a splash like this so early into their career. “Attempted Martyr” is so relentless in its delivery that it is impossible to ignore. It’s a style reminiscent of many bands prior, particularly Swans on “To Be Kind,” Boris with “Pink” and (if you’ll allow me to reach), Big Black or Queenadreena. However, they don’t live in the shadow of their predecessors, embracing many Middle Eastern influences, especially on tracks like ‘Judge’ and ‘Attempted Martyr,’ an interlude only available on Bandcamp due to an issue with a sample clearance, being a recording of a man praying in Arabic.
The intro is ominous enough, the shrill horns on ‘All Hail’ followed by the relentless hammering on the drums, only given a moment to understand before the song is swept away in a storm of fury. Halfway through, they drop you for a couple seconds, allowing the horns to return in full swing just to pick you up again and throw you around even harder. The chorus adds even more, with the repeated “I know, I know, I know” belting over the instrumental. The song follows a cryptic band of revolutionaries that ultimately die in a suicide bombing. What they consider themselves is irrelevant, only what they stand for matters. It’s an incredibly imposing track and does a fantastic job setting the tone for the album.
The rest of the album follows in the footsteps of ‘All Hail,’ proving to be just as furious and gritty. ‘M. Dada’ is another standout, with a bass that builds so much tension that it makes me want to throw up. It’s an absolute journey, featuring both incredibly heavy and shrill riffs at numerous points in the song. This is immediately followed by ‘Body Meat,’ which uses the guitar to build steam in the same way ‘Judge’ and ‘M. Dada’ do. That said, the drums on this track are the backbone, shifting gears numerous times and taking the song to another level. Next up is ‘Senegal,’ which harbors some absolutely disgusting bridges.
My only complaint with this record is that it does unfortunately lose some steam by the end of it. ‘In the Corner Dunce’ and ‘Joumana Kayrouz’ don’t quite harbor the same intensity as the rest of the album (the former overstaying its welcome a bit). They might serve as a welcome break from the action for some, but it loosened the tension up for ‘Harem Induction Hour’ and ultimately caused the closer to lose some of its bite in turn.
At a time like this, it’s incredibly important for bands like Prostitute to exist. Their music will not be overlooked no matter how hard people try to put it down (think back to Massive Attack in Singapore), and their voices will bellow louder than any censorship can hope to block. Long live Palestine, long live Lebanon, and long live Prostitute.
Favorite Track(s): All Hail, M. Dada, Body Meat
Written by Michéal Doran
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