Real Farmer Hit The Right Notes with Debut Album Compare What’s There

In a world where post-punk increasingly means anything and nothing at all, Real Farmer come in with an honest-to-goodness post-punk album in Compare What’s There. Well, at least the post-punk we all hope for when we play the latest IDLES or Fontaines DC record, anyway. This isn’t indie-dance pop rock with distorted guitars, this is the in-your-face noise-rock of disenfranchisement and frustration.

Opening track The Feeding sets the tone – fast-strummed guitars against a rock solid rhythm section, while “You take what you want / You take as you please /I got my back to the wall / As far as I can see” is talk-screamed over it. Lead vocalist Jeroen Klootsema has a great voice for it – you can feel the malaise drip from the lyrics as he sings at you, rather than with you. The album is remarkably consistent, with no real sideways turns or surprises. All gas no breaks, dripping with sweat and adrenaline, here you’ve got 13 tracks and each one wants to be right up against your ears until they ring.

Real Farmer comes out of the Dutch post-punk scene, as is made up of the aforementioned Jeroen Klootsema on vocals, Marriott Maienema on bass and vocals, Peter van Der Pleog on guitar and vocals, and Leon Harms on drums. The foursome work together to make their wall of noise, but Marriott’s bass is a standout throughout – take the opening of track 4, Empty, for example. The three-note intro riff on bass elevates the track from being just another mid-tempo rocker with fast strumming. Similarly, on Next In, the 8th track and clear album highlight, Marriott’s bouncy bass and Joan Jett style backing vocals stick with you long after the album ends. Next In also has what might be the most succinct and accurate lyric in all of post-punkdom: “It’s what I said / It’s what I want / Take me to the places that I can’t afford.” That’s the whole thing in three lines, right there.

Next In comes at you in the middle of a really strong back half three-song sequence. Starting with Perry Boys and ending with second single, The Straightest Line, these three songs would have made a real grab ‘em by the collar EP. Here in the middle of the album they highlight the quality that we might see from Real Farmer in the future, if we’re lucky. There aren’t any significant low points on Compare What’s There, but aside from a few moments hinting towards something greater, the majority of this record doesn’t exactly pave any new ground. Overall, Compare What’s There is a promising debut, and keeps the pilot light burning for keeping post-punk within its own boundaries.

Compare What’s There comes out via Peter Doherty’s Strap Originals label on 8th March, and is available in all the usual places, including on vinyl from the band’s bandcamp page.