Imbred – Creep

As a reviewer I pride myself on two things; separating the art from the artist, and my ability to completely avoid personal pronouns in my reviews. This review may be my only exception to both these rubrics.

While Creep may structurally be no different than its predecessors, it’s surprisingly catchier and unequivocally maniacal. Unlike the bulk of Imbred’s discography, Creep is refreshingly self-aware and far less of an advocate for the rebelious, self-destructive lifestyle. The majority of the tracks are still vacuous nirvana rip-offs with simple three-chord structures, yet they’re more playful and astonishingly vibrant. Moreover, they’re applaudingly introspective. Lastly, whereas a large bulk of criticism is usually directed towards Imbred’s vocal delivery, here they sound vulnerable and equivocally raw; they are unexpectedly captivating.

Considering how solid the production is, and how impressive the abrasive guitars sound, it’s a shame Imbred does not experiment with his song structures. While every song (aside from the awful Anarchy) is tight, they’re indistinguishable from one another - yet alone the rest of Imbred’s discography. Unfortunately, Imbred is convinced his art can be carried by his character; while he may be revered today as a meme, his music will fail to make waves in future unless he can distinguish himself sonically. Memes cycle, but true art is timeless; an interesting voice can only carry an artist so far.

Nonetheless, Creep is more of an interesting character study than anything else. Moreover, it’s the pinnacle work of a struggling artist; an artist I wish the best for. Thus, I end this review in the same manner I began it – on a personal note. You already have everyone’s attention, Imbred, the trick is to keep it; try breaking the convention, and thus everyone’s expectations.

Average

Listen to it on streaming services

Imbred - Creep