‘If Everyone’s An Expert’, the debut album from Cardiff-based punk three-piece Penny Rich was released on April 14th, 2023. Penny Rich was born from a shared passion for 90’s grunge and noise and a need for cathartic expression, their evocative melodies and introspective lyrics speaking to the insecurities inside all of us.
Since their formation in 2016, the band has been energizing audiences across South Wales, sharing the stage with the likes of Death Cult Electric, Sœur, and False Advertising, whilst tracks from their EPs Nomad and Revolving Door have been supported by the likes of BBC Radio Wales, with Adam Walton himself describing the band as ‘noisy and great’.
Hoping to build from the success of their previous two EPs comes to their debut studio full-length ‘If Everyone’s An Expert…’, recorded with Andrew Sanders at Cardiff’s Kings Road Studio. As loud and sonically dynamic as it is thought-provoking, its first singles ‘Stolen Goods’ and ‘Last Meal’ both received glowing reviews and drew comparisons with IDLES and early Nirvana. ‘If Everyone’s An Expert…’ is the culmination of many years of work. Between 2018 and 2021, Penny Rich set about writing new material with no particular end goal in mind. More cohesive and focused than their previous releases, it quickly became apparent that the new tunes were a definitive step away from what the band had put out previously. Having built up so much material in this same vein, putting it all together as an album felt like the logical conclusion.
The album offers a personal take on today’s polarised political climate, whilst also taking a deep dive into singer/guitarist Ant’s personal struggles coinciding with this turbulent time. With its heart-on-sleeve approach, ‘If Everyone’s An Expert…’ is intended as a raw, honest, and self-critical take on both personal and wider societal issues. A full-throttle assault from start to finish, the band fuses scuzzy guitars, adrenaline-fuelled drums, throat-busting vocals, and vulnerable lyrics to give us 10 disdainful snapshots of modern life.
Alongside the album’s release comes the single ‘Spirals’. Discussing the meaning behind the track, the band explains: “‘Spirals’ is a song about finding futile solutions to life’s upward and downward spirals from the point of view of someone with underlying perfectionism and OCD. It explores the subconscious reflex of reaching for all-encompassing answers to your problems, be it a fad diet, a new routine, etc. Eventually, these solutions all ultimately fail, leaving you back at the bottom, at the start of the next spiral.
This song is very personal to Ant, who has long suffered from body dysmorphia stemming from underlying perfectionism and OCD. The song reflects the years of both physical and mental yo-yo’ing, leading to the conclusion that treating these underlying causes is the only way to eventually finding freedom from this never-ending cycle.”
The single ‘Spirals’ is out now! If Everyone’s An Expert is released on April 14th and is available on all streaming platforms.
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