YHWH Nailgun: 45 Pounds Review – A Unique Twist on Funky NYC Post-Punk

YHWH Nailgun’s debut album, 45 Pounds, offers a thrilling and unconventional take on post-punk, infusing the genre with elements of funk, disco, and experimental sounds. Drawing inspiration from groundbreaking acts such as This Heat, A Certain Ratio, and 23 Skidoo, the New York-based quartet unleashes a raucous energy that upends expectations while crafting a wholly original sonic identity.

At the heart of the band’s sound is drummer Sam Pickard, whose drumming style defies traditional backbeat rhythms. Instead of adhering to straightforward patterns, Pickard’s approach consists of repeated, highly intricate fills that propel each song forward, often with an erratic and unpredictable flair. His playing creates a sense of imbalance, knocking the listener off their feet while keeping the music grounded and dynamic. On faster tracks, Pickard’s rapid-fire focus on drum rims and tight hi-hats gives the music a danceable, indie-disco quality, while the slower, more deliberate beats of songs like Tear Pusher introduce an almost boom-bap, hip-hop-like sensibility.

In contrast to the typical post-punk setup, the band’s rhythm section is composed not of a bass guitar but of synths, which further elevates the experimental nature of their sound. Jack Tobias’s synth work, particularly on tracks like Iron Feet and Sickle Walk, conjures the mechanical soundscapes of a slowly grinding lift or a creaking locomotive, adding a sense of eerie, machine-like precision to the proceedings. The interplay between the synths and the drums forms a compelling foundation, with each element complementing the other in a fluid, evolving way.

The band’s vocalist, Zack Borzone, brings an intense and captivating energy to the album. His lyrics are often obscured, but they serve less as a source of meaning and more as a sonic texture—Borzone’s voice is another instrument in the mix, raw and expressive, adding a layer of chaotic funk. His delivery is both hoarse and urgent, almost like a percussive force of its own, amplifying the album’s wild energy. The synths and guitars, played by Saguiv Rosenstock, blend into a murky background, but it’s the drumming that maintains an unmistakable buoyancy throughout, particularly on tracks like Castrato Raw (Fullback), which stands out for its more accessible, pop-oriented vibe.

While punk-funk has been a staple of New York’s music scene for years, YHWH Nailgun’s 45 Pounds feels like a daring evolutionary leap, taking the genre into uncharted territory. Their combination of disorienting rhythms, unconventional song structures, and a distinctive sense of abandon makes this debut album a standout in the world of post-punk. The band successfully embraces the spirit of chaos while still maintaining a unique, identifiable sound—one that is sure to make waves in the alternative music scene.