The Verge reviewer revisits Soul Glo's album Diaspora Problems ahead of new release
US hardcore punk band Soul Glo will release a new album, NA I'M GON GRAB ALLAT, in January. Ahead of it, The Verge writer Terrence O'Brien looks back at the band's 2022 album Diaspora Problems, which he names his favorite of that year.
American hardcore punk band Soul Glo will release a new album titled NA I'M GON GRAB ALLAT in January. Terrence O'Brien, a writer at the technology and entertainment site The Verge, says he is eagerly waiting for it. With only two singles out so far, he has been returning to the band's earlier work, including the 2022 album Diaspora Problems, which he calls his favorite album of that year.
What the album sounds like
O'Brien writes that the record opens with "Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)", which pairs a catchy hardcore riff with a ranting, screaming performance from frontman Pierce Jordan. The next track, "Coming Correct", begins with a cough and a steady 808 drum-machine beat, and reaches full intensity within 25 seconds.
In the reviewer's view, the first part of the album is a nonstop run of hardcore songs. Jordan moves between leftist rhetoric, jokes about smoking weed and personal reflections on his struggles with depression. O'Brien says his rapid-fire delivery owes nearly as much to modern rappers as to classic hardcore acts such as Minor Threat and Bad Brains.
The sixth track, "Driponomics", leans on trap snares and heavy 808 kicks and includes a guest verse from Mother Maryrose. The album culminates in "Spiritual Level Of Gang Shit", with guest verses from McKinley Dixon and Lojii. The song moves from a dub-inspired groove to punishing guitars and a standard hardcore beat, and later a horn section joins in.
Place in the genre
Next to modern hardcore standard bearers such as Turnstile, Soul Glo might seem like traditionalists influenced by the Washington, DC scene. Yet O'Brien argues that Diaspora Problems shows the band's willingness to take risks, play with genre and keep a confrontational political stance.
The writer adds that he has seen the band live at least four times and recommends its Tiny Desk Concert for NPR. The album is available on Bandcamp and major streaming services, including Qobuz, Deezer, YouTube Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
