Kai CultOK Boomer (EP)

Exploding with fury and agitation, OK Boomer was written in response to the shitstorm that was 2020.

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Kai Cult is the solo project of Melbourne-based DIY noise-punk artist Louis Fuji and this 5-track EP, which clocks in under 15 minutes, was recorded in his share-house bedroom.

“Cigarette burns on my eyes/It hurts, it hurts …” – Cigarette Burns explores the mental health ramifications of COVID-19: “And I’m doing alright/And I’m doing okay”–how effective can positive self-talk be during a global crisis anyway!? Lead single Massive Checks is a dynamic masterpiece, with Fuji’s speak-sung verses offset by screaming, enraged choruses. Occasional handclaps add swag then after Fuji screeches, “TIME’S SLIPPING AWAAAAAAY!” the song’s final minute goes full instrumental, paring back to just the sinister bassline before slamming, T. Rex-esque drums and shimmering guitars return.

OK Boomer takes no prisoners. A harrowing snapshot of our wack planet right now.

Over syncopated drumming and dense riffs, Time references a sick family member living on borrowed time: “Tick tock as the clock goes, ‘Time’s running out’ …” Fuji’s increasingly desperate delivery eventually wanes, decreasing in volume like the last few grains of sand passing through an hourglass–hope abandoned. From the frenetic riffs of rambunctious one-minute opener Let Me Stay to the laidback strut of closer For Real, OK Boomer takes no prisoners. A harrowing snapshot of our wack planet right now.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Massive Checks, Time
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