Album Review: Am Samstag – Dualism (Black Market Music/Urgence Disk Records)

Am Samstag may hail from the land of Yodel, but the Swiss trio plays a dirty and savage grunge, tinged with punk, spiced with metal and sprinkled with pop. After the release of their 4-tracks EP (1) in 2019 and a small tour in Switzerland, France and the United States, the band will release its new album Dualism on March 18th, 2022 via Urgence Disk Records and Black Market Music.

Grunge… but not as you know it. All the added touches that Am Samstag give their core sound help transform it into something much more different. Something with rockier and groovier tendencies but also melodramatic and raw. It’s a potent mixture that makes Dualism a constantly surprising and engaging listen.

A major part of that engagement comes from how the focus shifts track by track. One minute you’re listening to something that has Nirvana-esqe inspirations then you’re listening to something that could be played over a club speaker to a packed dancefloor. Then you’re listening to something with old-school punk flavour and pop-rock infused bounce. It’s far more fun than it has any right to be.

Such an eclectic array of musical ideas could over-burden an album and make it sound like a collection of singles. However, the core vocals of Am Samstag is ever present and the instrumental vein pumps hard.

There’s plenty to enjoy too as this is a 13-track album. However, some tracks are short and to the point (Burn Notre Dame Burn, Till Death Do Us Part, Sheep, Algos). Whereas others (Pills and Wine, Auf Wiedersehen, Susie Q, Church) are deeper and more elaborate. Call it… something for everyone. Which is a fair summation of Dualism all over. Don’t enjoy the grungier sound? There will be something with punk fire shortly afterwards. Want something that makes you want to get up and dance? Am Samstag will be right back with a rocking number. It’s very satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable.

Am Samstag – Dualism Full Track Listing:

1. Pills and Wine
2. Burn Notre Dame Burn
3. Meatballs
4. Hardly Wait
5. Til Death Do Us Part
6. Auf Wiedersehen
7. Miss Butch
8. Susie Q
9. Do You Wanna Have Fun?
10. You Make Me Feel
11. Sheep
12. Church
13. Algos

Links

Spotify | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube