Gilla Band - Pugnello
Gilla Band - Pugnello
Released, 25 September 2026
--Ada Wofford
Gilla Band, the coolest band you’ve ever heard. For about five minutes.
Maybe that’s not entirely fair. For context, I’m coming to this band as a new listener. I know I should listen to their earlier stuff, but I thought it would be more interesting to review this record before I do so, as everyone else reviewing it will likely be comparing it to their other albums.
This is a record I want to like more than I do. When I first put it on in my car and the opener, “The Angelus” started up, I got so excited. I had been looking for a particular sound for some time and I thought I had found it with Pugnello. It sounded very similar to what I’ve been thinking of experimenting with in my own music. But every time I’d start the experiment, I’d quickly realize it’s a one-dimensional sound; a musical trick, really. The ranting vocals, the abrasive screeching, the tight yet heavy drums peeking in and disappearing; it’s amazing but quickly grows borning, if not annoying. It’s like guacamole in that sense. It spoils incredibly fast.
But don’t think I hate Pugnello. I still have a ton of respect for this record. Considering how taxing so much of this album can be on one’s ears, Gilla Band have a really good sense of when to pull it back. Every time I was about to turn it off because I just couldn’t take the insistent pounding and screeching, something would change. The drums would dip in the mix, the guitar would cut out, the vocalist would stop screaming. For music that can sound so wild and spontaneous, it’s actually composed very thoughtfully.
Equally impressive is the mixing on this record. I have no clue how they took so much raw noise and arranged it so delicately. It’s like a house of cards where each card is a frequency and they used about a thousand decks. It’s really incredible, especially listening in a car where you’re literally surrounded by the noise and yet you can still pick out each instrument.
The standouts for me were the singles “Placeholder” and “Giraffe,” along with the opener, which I already mentioned. “Placeholder” begins with a fuzzy synth bass thudding away, like some sort of Euro-techno heard through a cement wall. Vocalist Dara Kiely always sounds like he’s on the verge of losing it and “Placeholder” is no different. His ramblings build along with the sonic onslaught, and I use the word “ramblings” very purposefully. I can’t make out what he’s so worked up about but he’s had it up to here, damn it! The mayhem eventually crescendos and dissipates into something more trance-like. Still noisy, but less so; Kiely’s vocals now a low monologue fluttering through a tremolo effect, like he’s speaking to you through a huge fan. This song might be the best example of the thoughtfulness I mentioned. The track runs over four minutes but doesn’t completely drain you as a listener. I feel like in the hands of any other band, such a palette of noise would drive me insane for that length of time, but Gilla Band pulls it off.
Unfortunately, they don’t manage this tightrope walk for the entire duration of the record. Listening to it front to back in one sitting was unpleasant for me. It’s just too much, like a slurpee that’s all syrup. My nervous system can’t handle it. That said, they were smart to place “Giraffe” far away from “Placeholder” in the track list as these two songs break up the more demanding material on the album. “Giraffe” might be the closest thing to what one might consider a traditional rock song. Kiely is still rambling as opposed to singing, but the bass line is both groovy and slightly melodic; a welcomed contrast to the sea of noise surrounding it.
To reiterate my opening thoughts: The record opens by slapping you in the face, which is always exciting for a record to do, but you quickly realize that this is all it’s going to do. It’s not leading to anything. This is it. We’re already there. So, if you’re like me and are new to Gilla Band (formerly known as Girl Band), perhaps try microdosing this record. Taking the whole thing in one hit is just too much.
Pugnello is available now!
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