
The new Melt-Banana album 3+5 will throw you for a loop as soon as you hit “play.” The sound is a mix of guitar noise, Daft Punk on a coke bender, and what Melt-Banana does, with wild ideas thrown in seemingly with abandon but I’m sure in actuality done with surgical precision.
The band’s roots of guitar, bass, and drums are pushed into the background in favor of an emphasis on recording studio gymnastics. Yes, Melt-Banana still thinks like a rock band and there’s drum machine beats and layered guitar riffs all over the place, but the guitar sounds like a synthesizer as often as not. The record is more Atari Teenage Riot blown apart by a rocket launcher than Melvins.
The band has been playing in this hyper-modern direction for years, maybe ever since singer Yako and guitarist Agata paired the band down to just them, so maybe for the true Melt-Banana heads that follow the band closely, 3+5 is just another killer album from the group. But somehow this record is hitting me as exciting and particularly treble-cranked-harsh, maybe because it’s fresh and new.
Luckily, in advance of the album release we can have a taste of what these two are doing now because Melt-Banana has been slamming YouTube with promotional videos for the record. We’ll go through them below.
Here’s the 3+5 announcement video:
I want to emphasize the combination of noise and pop sounds along with Yako’s maddening vocals and fast tempos that are featured on the album. I can hear little bits that remind me of Killing Joke, Godflesh, and The Who: this is a record for people into alternative, underground music where almost anything goes.
The album’s first single, “Flipside,” is one of the more, I don’t know if restrained is the word, but more traditional songs in rock structure. It premiered at Brooklyn Vegan and you can listen to it here too.
Sound good? 3+5 is coming out on August 23, 2024 on A-Zap Records. It’s up for preorder on CD, LP, and digital from Midheaven.
Melt-Banana has already toured the States for the album, even though it’s not out yet, and is going to the U.K. next. A tour announcement video is below, followed by the U.K. tour dates.
Aug 29, Music Hall, Ramsgate
Aug 30, Supersonic Festival, Birmingham
Aug 31, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Sep 01, Docks Academy, Grimsby
Sep 04, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Sep 05, Rebellion, Manchester
Sep 06, Future Yard, Birkenhead
Sep 07, The Parish, Huddersfield
Sep 08, The Adelphi, Hull
Sep 10, The Brickyard, Carlisle
Sep 11, Mash House, Edinburgh
Sep 12, Stereo, Glasgow
Sep 13, The Cluny, Newcastle
Sep 14, Waterfront, Norwich
Sep 15, Arts Centre, Colchester
Sep 17, The Baths, Ipswich
Sep 18, Portland Arms, Cambridge
Sep 19, Esquires, Bedford
Sep 20, The Bullingdon, Oxford
Sep 21, South Street Arts Centre, Reading
Sep 22, The Cavern, Exeter
Sep 24, The Globe, Cardiff
Sep 25, Strange Brew, Bristol
Sep 26, Concorde 2, Brighton
Sep 27, Dingwalls, London




