Deerhoof, despite having just celebrated their 30-year anniversary last year, are still going strong with their newest album, “Noble and Godlike in Ruin.” The project opens with “Overrated Species Anyhow,” a melody in which lead singer Satomi Matsuzaki lays out for the audience what the album will be about: Love for all those who are oppressed in society, and animosity towards those complicit.
The album revels in a maximalist style, something Deerhoof has become greatly accustomed to and arguably has mastered over their three decades of performing. The high points of the album are when Deerhoof leans fully into said style, such as “Under Rats,” which features renowned poet Saul Williams, “Sparrow Sparrow,” or even the violent and destructive second half of “Immigrant Songs,” a song whose entirety is an expression of the pains of being an immigrant in America.
“Disobedience” also shines as arguably one of the band’s most blunt political criticisms ever, with the entire near two-minute spoken word outro exploring a dystopian future of cop cities in a monotonous, almost robotic tone.
“Noble and Godlike in Ruin” feels in many ways like the other side of the coin that is their 2021 release, “Actually, You Can.” Whereas the latter is more playful and optimistic in the face of hatred and collapse, the former seems to splay such hatred and collapse out in an unapologetic, indelicate manner, and is unrelenting in its frustration while still attempting to maintain hope for the future.
Rating: 9/10