Chasing Ghosts
Noise Circle, 2023
9/10
The debut album from the French rockers Paddang, these 8 energetic tracks mash punk, noise and garage-rock into an unforgettable formula.
“The Cave” starts the listen with a mysterious atmosphere before buzzing guitars and thumping drums enter the loud, powerful, post-punk haze, and “Terima Kasih” follows with a more jagged approach of dense, swirling math-rock ideas.
Halfway through, “3.0” offers a fragmented and thick, charged display of throbbing psyche-rock, while “Dead On Tuesday” buries plenty of melody amid the fluid bass lines and dreamy guitar work.
“The Way You Move” and “Island Of Gods” exit the listen, where the former showcases plenty of harmonic bouts alongside bouncy instrumentation, and the latter touches on hard rock sensibilities via the mesmerizing and meticulous song craft.
An incredible starting point, it would be wise to keep a close eye on Paddang, especially if other French outfits like Cosse or You Said Strange appeal to you.
Travels well with: You Said Strange- Thousand Shadows Vol. 1; The Poison Arrows- War Regards