A Review of Godzillionaire's Sophomore Full-Length Album "Diminishing Returns", Out Now on Ripple Music!
Godzillionaire: "Raging Poetic" Stoner and Alternative Rock from America's Midwest
Godzillionaire first graced by ears in late July of 2024 via their album Negative Balance. I was instantly taken by this Kansas-based band and their carefully balanced mixture of stoner rock, alternative rock, and grunge, a fusion that also manages to vacillate between a pensive, hazy glow and a powerful, emotion-filled tornado. However, my favorite thing about the band is the corresponding vocal delivery and the lyrics they supply. Utilizing my favorite style of songwriting, Godzillionaire's lyrics are beautifully poetic; enigmatic yet specific (more about that later). These are words you can easily discover yourself in, and when you do, it feels like finding an old friend.
This makes a lot of sense once you learn that Godzillionaire is fronted by none other than singer, poet, and artist Mark Hennessy from the grunge band Paw (a band this author has a tremendous amount of love and respect for). The band also includes Ben White on guitar, Michael Dye on bass, and Cody Romaine on drums.
Godzillionaire has been releasing music since about 2016. Prior to their first full-length album, the band gained worldwide attention when their songs Absolute Zero and Excommunication were included in the film They Come Knocking (part of Hulu's Into the Dark series). Negative Balance (2020) is considered to be Godzillionaire's debut full-length album, and it received several acclaims including ranking #14 in New Noise Magazine's Albums of the Year staff poll and #50 in their readers' poll. It also secured the #13 spot in Guitar Part Magazine's staff picks for Best Albums of 2020 and was praised by several members of the Doom Charts to boot. Not too shabby!
On January 17, 2025, the band released their sophomore full-length album, Diminishing Returns, their first upon signing to Ripple Music. This album, considered to be the most "eclectic" of the band's career, will be our focus here.
Diminishing Returns
1.) Drowning All Night
The second and final single released from Diminishing Returns, Drowning All Night begins the album in a rather upbeat way. Standout, energetic percussion and soothing, luminous guitar tones call to mind a glimmering sunset. Some awesome bass groove is present throughout but is particularly noticeable just past the midway point, working with the drums to keep the energy up. There's something here that whispers a hint of heartland rock to me; I'm sure it's the muted shades of southern rock influence and notes of longing in both the guitar and vocals. The song ends with a rather haunting diminuendo, the instrumentals quieting as a heightened focus on the vocals results, and the lyrics draw sharp attention to their vivid imagery. As it turns out, this ending style will be a pattern throughout the album.
2.) Boogie Johnson
The aptly titled Boogie Johnson features a foundation of psychedelic groove, but it's performed with delightfully gritty, rock n' roll emphasis. Mark Hennessy's vocals utilize their frantic/borderline shrieking style that I remember fondly from the Negative Balance album. This manner of singing results in a passionate and attention-holding performance, frenzied yet melodic at the same time. It also makes for a surprisingly fitting combination when paired with the bass heavy psychedelic boogie of the song. Speaking of, Boogie Johnson, just like Drowning All Night, is full of some absolutely delicious bass lines, something my attention has been magnetically drawn to on the album.
3.) Spin Up, Spin Down
Spin Up, Spin Down is a beautiful, atmospheric piece. To my ears, it plays out with watercolor hues and fluid, aquatic textures, the gentle crash of the cymbals washing over the listener like a cool sea spray. The vocal approach here is a very tranquil hybrid of soft melodic singing and placating spoken word. Wailing guitars at the middle mark pick up the passion, but not so much the pace, as Spin Up, Spin Down proves to be more than a song - it's audible art and a thought-provoking meditative journey.
4.) Astrogarden
I can safely say that Astrogarden is unlike anything I've ever heard before in underground rock music, and I mean that in the best way possible. I think the most appropriate way to describe it is with the stark contrasts present throughout the song. It's percussive while being silky smooth and soulful as it begins. This gives way to a very stormy final third of the track, a part that has a very metallic and often almost aggressive demeanor, as well as some nods to rap and nu metal. Astrogarden in its entirely has a very modern feel, crisp with rich guitar tones and a spacey flair. This song is certainly one of the most experimental on the album, but it was undoubtedly a very pleasant surprise for me (and I know it will be for you too). It also breaks up the album nicely, its placement in the middle acting as a palate cleaner, preparing the listener for the final courses.
5.) 3rd Street Shuffle
3rd Street Shuffle was the first single released from Diminishing Returns in late November 2024, and it was a great choice. While paying tribute to the band's grunge and stoner roots, 3rd Street Shuffle also offers just a whisper of Godzillionaire's updated sound. This is particularly noticeable in the ample addition of groove (again, that bass is killin' it), and a modernized, fresh tone.
6.) Unsustainable
Unsustainable can undoubtedly be called a ballad, with a sound that's contemporary yet reminiscent of the 80s/early 90s with its synth-heavy base. To me, this gives an anchor to an otherwise gossamer lament. Unsustainable here refers to the fate of a relationship that, while founded on a plethora of love, could not be maintained due to physical distance. The song ends on a heart-wrenching note:
"And we came together
Just to break our hearts..
...And that's just for starts..."
I'll be the first to admit, my deeply repressed romantic side came out, screaming, "Noooo! It wasn't all for nothing! You shared something!" Ouch, my heart...
That aside, this is yet another style I certainly didn't expect to hear on Diminishing Returns, but I think the band did a phenomenal job of expressing their softer side in a very artful and poetic way.
7.) Common Board, Magic Nail
I could be all alone in this, but to me, Common Board, Magic Nail feels like a reprise of Spin Up, Spin Down...a funkier, smokier, city night version: Spin Up, Spin Down After Dark. While there's a similar flowing psychedelic atmosphere and half spoken word/half melodically sung vocals, the bass is infinitely more pronounced in Common Board, Magic Nail, and it continues to wax funky. A big swell midway through the song crescendos into epic vocal harmonies, crashing percussion, and swirling, vibrant guitar. Everything is elevated, that is, until the hushed final minute of the song take us out, making it all feel like a dream.
8.) Shadow of a Mountain
The longest track on the album at about eight minutes, Shadow of a Mountain plays out much like a strange dream that will be slowly pieced together into something comprehensible and revolutionary. Metaphor and stream-of-consciousness soliloquy melodically recount events, advice, and declarations over warm drums and trepidatious guitar and bass. This ultimately explodes into a soaring, triumphant, and confident energy from vocals and instrumentals alike. As almost every other song on Diminishing Returns, the album closer ends on a whisper, but always an intriguing one that tends to leave you feeling either reassured or questioning everything, depending on the scenario at hand.
Final Thoughts
Diminishing Returns has a strong foundation of the things we know and love about Godzillionaire that were developed on the Negative Balance album. This includes the band's characteristic fusion of stoner, grunge, and alternative rock with plenty of nods to other genres, particularly metal. On Diminishing Returns, these chameleon-like instrumentals are elevated tenfold, becoming even more variable and avant-garde. Similarly, the vocals build on their trademark smooth/rough approach, introducing some new techniques such as a soothing spoken word style. The lyrics continue to be sophisticated and metaphorical for the most part. However, on Diminishing Returns, these words seem to be more personal and heartfelt than ever.
Speaking of the lyrics, an element of music that's incredibly important to me personally, I have to take a paragraph to show my full appreciation for them. When listening to the stoner/doom genres, where lyrics tend to be oversaturated with songs about weed and witches, I have to admit that I frequently find my soul crying out for simile and metaphor. Don't get me wrong, weed and witches certainly have their place in stoner rock, but some of my very favorite bands in the genre combine elements of stoner with expressive alternative rock songwriting. I appreciate the more ambiguous lyrics, as their vague but artful nature allows them to be interpreted differently by each listener, often allowing them to resonate even deeper with the individual. Godzillionaire's lyrics not only fit this description phenomenally well, but they also have a unique way of coming together like pieces of a puzzle, one that looks a bit different for everyone when it's complete.
So, is Diminishing Returns Godzillionaire's most eclectic release to date? Absolutely, yes! In fact, as I was writing this review, I realized that I eventually stopped using genre terms to describe what I heard and naturally began to focus more of the images and moods these clever tracks evoked for me. I think this speaks volumes as to how Diminishing Returns is truly art delivered via song, so much so that labels and making comparisons aren't even on the listener's radar. With that said, I had a very strong feeling that this album would be deep. I (correctly) assumed there would be some of the feel-good yet thought-provoking grunge-tinted tracks that I know and love from the band with some cool surprises thrown in. Still, I could never adequately prepare myself for the diverse, astoundingly creative, and comprehensive collection of songs that awaited me. In a nutshell, Diminishing Returns sounds like a band that came together and was somehow able to adequately and elegantly describe a lifetime's worth of emotions and moods on one album, and that is profoundly meaningful to me. This is an album that you can play at any point in your life, and something different will deeply resonate with you each time, a hallmark of any thoughtfully crafted artwork.
More About Godzillionaire:
You can follow Godzillionaire and listen to their music at the following links:
Godzillionaire Is:
Michael Dye- Bass, Synth, Vocals
Mark Hennessy - Vocals
Cody Romaine - Drums
Ben White - Guitar, Synth, Vocals
A massive thank you to Purple Sage PR for the promo!
If you like Godzillionaire, you'll want to check out Yeast Machine!
Comments
Post a Comment