The fourth album from Atlanta post-punk trio Omni, and their first in five years, Souvenir is a half-hour burst of staccato energy and rhythms both retro and modern.
A nervy punk throughline connects the 11 songs, none of which exceed four minutes, and which are often as much about ideas as they are bursts of noise. With a more refined band, a song like “INTL Waters” could be an expert piece of songcraft; with Omni, the band bops along with half-formed fast/slow passages before a too-short guitar-driven climax. It could have been more, but it’s not too bad as is.
“Double Negative” makes good use of a six-note guitar figure that is reminiscent of Can’s “Mother Sky” or the Knack’s “My Sharona,” but it just sort of ends with no real resolution. Other tracks sort of stutter along awkwardly (like “F1” and “Granite Kiss”), all flailing limbs and pimple-faced energy, not too sure of themselves, but having fun anyway.
There’s also little variation in the sound here, so you’re never really sure when one song ends and another begins; the last five songs on the album are one big blur and you likely won’t care enough to try to sort it out. I could see where this could appeal to some who don’t love conventional song structures or sounds, but I’m not in that group.
The most successful song, and the whole reason I checked out the album, is “Plastic Pyramid.” There’s an ’80s post-punk vibe (with a hint of the B-52s in the background vocals), some Television-like guitar work, an actual introduction and bridge, and a very good closing guitar solo. It’s a full song, and an indicator of what Omni is capable of. In a way, it makes many of the other songs sound almost like demos.
Omni may not be young, but their sound and approach is adolescent, though it’s worth noting that their sound is sure of itself far more so than the songwriting. They know what they want to sound like. Here’s hoping their next album builds on the promise of that sound and the best songs here.