DS Album Review: Combobox Level Up on “Here We Go Again!”

Portland, Oregon’s post-punk band Combobox is back with their latest EP, Here We Go Again! While it hasn’t been too long since their last EP, Oh No!, was released in July of last year, Combobox has cooked up an inventive batch of songs that help boost their sound while still sticking to their roots. Here We Go Again! has a much more urgent and darker tone, but still retains the humor that shone through on their first EP.

While lyrically these songs have the same snark as their previous EP, Combobox comes out much more aggressive and biting here. The music is faster on the first half, but also heavier and darker on the second half. “The Party” is a great start to the EP. It’s fast and catchy. The fun riffs from the first album are there, too. The breakdown of this song seems to pivot into Pixies territory with its clean surf-like guitars before speeding back up for an abrupt ending. The song structure stuck with me on this album.

The second track, “The Sermon,” is even faster and riffier than “The Party,” and works just as well. Musically, there is enough DNA from the last EP that it doesn’t sound too different, but it definitely moves their sound forward. Lyrically, these first two songs remind me of Jello Biafra and their way of making the narrator’s thoughts ridiculous until they’re poignant. On the surface, these lyrics are a little silly, but a closer look reveals much more to them.

“Meanwhile” and “The Road” are slower and heavier, but great nonetheless. “Meanwhile” is probably my favorite song off the album, starting off with a humorous exchange during a bank robbery gone awry because of an argument about face masks. Whether or not these songs follow the same narrator, each track feels like its own short story, a self-contained misadventure with its own stakes.

Combobox has done it again; they manage to squeeze in four fantastic songs into about ten minutes, leaving you clamoring for more. This EP is proof that Combobox isn’t just refining their sound; they’re expanding it. Their talent for writing music and biting lyrics shines through even more this time around. Their use of humor, commentary, and satire to point out the stupidities of the world is becoming a signature, not just a quirk. Pick up Combobox’s Here We Go Again! It is available digitally and on cassette from their Bandcamp.

Combobox has some shows coming up. Go and see them if you can:

3/6 – Portland, OR – Kenton Club (EP Release Party)

3/7 – Eugene, OR – Ghost Town Outfitters

4/18 – Roseburg, OR – Rosebud Theater

4/19 – Kaizer, OR – Radness Ensues