La Neve may not be the first project to use a dance punk label, and even such an idea on paper is pretty meaningless when you’ve had a host of ‘scene’ bands dropping in 8-bit synths in alongside breakdowns. History Solved‘s trajectory is most certainly toward the heart of punk, but the danceability is perhaps questionable. Noise punk might be more appropriate to some degree, given the synths have a tendency to get lost under a bed of chaos. On the lighter end of the spectrum, there’s a post-punk type approach. I can only think of HEALTH, though arguably with a bit more punch overall.

Naturally, the two extremes of punk and dance music don’t mesh all that well and create a bit of a gimmicky mixture. One end can overtake the other and you can get cybergrind of sorts, but most cases adding anything that feels ‘fun’ into a darker song will stand out a bit. That’s certainly the case here as well. But much like many subcultures, the gimmick is part of what makes it draw attention – both positive and negative. At least you can say La Neve isn’t being too stale.

The music itself deviates between more standard punk fare to the je-ne-sais-quo of CAKE’s discography, some odd brand of alt-pop. “Precious Gem” is kind of shouty, but it’s maybe more Talking Heads than The Cure. Musically, nothing is too offensive.

But, as in many cases of bands positioning themselves as pioneers of a specific new genre, there’s a bit of pretense at play. Does it show in the songs? No. Will most people notice or care? Probably not.

La Neve isn’t necessarily the innovator some may claim. That aside, the songs off History Solved do a good job blending old school punk ethos with an interesting bit electronic ornamentation. The song thrive off energy more than anything else, and the title track cements this. There perhaps is a comparison to be made to Death Grips, here.

All in all, La Neve is a creative project with plenty of energy. There’s plenty of ideology crammed in per punk standard, but the songs themselves are not dissertations by any stretch. Ultimately, the EP is an eclectic blend of punk, noise, and goth that never feels too esoteric.

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