Possible Humans - Everybody Split

Melbourne’s Possible Humans have come busting out hard and fast with their crackling debut album Everybody Split. The world of post-punk has seen a tremendous increase in talent this last decade. Everyone from Preoccupations to Ought, Iceage, Parquet Courts, etc. has released at least a handful of solid records and garnered a following that’s outlasted even the original post-punk lineups of the 80s. Possible Humans do a lot of the same things you’ve been enjoying from Parquet Courts for the last few years. Their jangly punk is intuitive, personal, and veers clear of the doom and gloom of Preoccupations and Iceage style-post-punk. 

Combining equal parts Parquet Courts, R.E.M., and Interpol, Possible Humans rage through their debut with a brisk and earnestness not usually found in a debut of this genre. It’s methodical, as they need to make an impact. “Lung of the City” kicks things off in prime form, a subtle but quickly building riff explodes into Murmur-esque string work. This is a no-nonsense album, it doesn’t try to impress with howls or sampling, it’s just solid guitar work coupled with effective songwriting. The humble beginnings of the band trace back to 2012 when they only could release demos and whatnot, but after 7 long years, their debut shows hard work paying off. 

“Aspiring to be a Bloke” sounds ripped directly from the last Interpol album Marauder, only better than anything on that album. Leon Cranswick croons softly but keeps his monotone delivery during the bridge for a more gothic and atmospheric approach. It’s these subtleties that flourish the most on Everybody Split. The swirling and woozy guitars of “Aspiring to be a Bloke” gush with purpose, meanwhile “The Thumps” does exactly that - thumps. Featuring an effortlessly cool opening riff to encourage kids to get on the dancefloor, Possible Humans feel displaced in time, hearkening back to the days of the Clean, much like their peers Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. “Absent Swimmer” continues the locomotive’s momentum, with a groovy bassline underlining Cranswick’s Michael Stipe-ian vocals. 

Of course, the main reason to listen to Everybody Split, is the near 12-minute opus “Born Stoned.” Not exactly a hazy tribute to cannabis, instead “Born Stoned” spends a majority of its runtime veering in and out of psychedelic riffs with talkbox-like echoing. It’s here that the comparisons to Matt Flegel from Preoccupations. This stunning centerpiece to Everybody Split warrants active listening, it spirals in and out, and never comes across as incessant noodling, or overstays its welcome. It feels the opposite way actually. An invitation to their psyche, weaving in and out, but not being derivative. Everybody Split is a massive but still controlled debut, even if it skews off track a few times, it’s directive still remains. Possible Humans aren’t pushovers here, they’ve come prepared and they deliver as promised.