Press Play: !!!

As If, the sixth studio album from the funky, indie rock, dance group, !!!, pronounced ‘Chk Chk Chk’, is one of the more highly anticipated albums of the year by college radio stations around North America. When it finally arrived in mid October, the album did not disappoint and was by far the most popular of all releases that week. 

!!! is a Sacramento, California based group that formed in the mid 1990’s. The founding members were all previously part of groups that had very different sounds. With this project, they wanted to combine electronic music with funk and alternative rock to create dance-punk music. As If  does mark a bit of a turning point for the band. Their sound has evolved from that of a dance-punk infused group, to more of an electronica one. This electronica music has taken over much of the mainstream music scene over the past decade, blending dance music with alternative rock sub genres. 

On the goal of their music, lead vocalist Nic Offer says, “we’re just trying to make it good, to make it catchy and something you could dance to”. These sentiments are ever apparent with !!!’s latest album. Some tracks are hook heavy, like “Every Little Bit Counts” and “Til The Money Runs Out”. Most of the tracks are danceable on the 11 song LP and all the songs are good. Smooth sounds of funk are present in later parts of the album beginning with track 9, “Funk (I Got This)”. 

Die hard !!! fans may be a little put off by the group’s transition from dance-punk to electronica, but will surely find some tracks they love on As If. Electronica fans will absolutely enjoy the latest album from California based group. 

Check out !!!’s Soundcloud to hear their evolved sound.