In about a year and a half since then Only ConstantsGel just came out for air. The New Jersey hardcore punks got new drummer Alex Salter, toured non-stop and signed to a new record label, Blue Grape. Life was so busy that Gel had to hole up in a remote cabin to listen to new songs before their tour schedule swallowed them whole. Once there, they listened to the advice that closed Only Constants: “Sail with boldness, act with intent.” These sessions produced a five-song EP, Personalitythis is bigger and bolder than anything they've recorded before. But in true Gel fashion, the freaks are over the top.
Recorded over two weeks and inspired by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung's idea of the shadow self, singer Sami Kaiser explores the hideous, unflattering parts of his own subconscious with an honesty that borders on self-punishment. The threat of the title track (“Don't use your fucking place”) sounds as much an indictment of fraud as a self-reminder. To further enhance this, the band approach Gel's definitive aggression with new musical delight. The Kaiser's bellows foams from the spit, as if the greed and arrogance they criticize are contagious. For guitarist Anthony Webster, it takes shape in guitar tones modeled after Obituary and Swervedriver. Both bassist Mathew Bobko and guitarist Maddi Nave bet on tried and true punk without shying away from melody. Even Salter tightens his drum, so the opening, isolated fourth notes of 'Mirage' hit as hard as the D-beat barrage on 'Martyr'.
EP highlight “Shame” represents Gel's most notable growth in the embrace of studio production. The old metrics of 'selling out' in the 90s, long overdue in the punk world, are slowly being worn out by the hardcore community as well. these days, fans fight over studio polish in Discord chats but still buy tickets to the show. Gel navigate through the leveling process Personality as hometown heroes Thursday or My Chemical Romance did before them by hiring a producer who understands their ambitions. Jon Markson (Drug Church, Drain) is steady at Gel's mixing console, cranking up the volume as bridges are built and bringing out individual members' parts for effective contrast that doesn't seem too clean.
Everywhere Personalitythe Gel maintain their menacing power not in spite of production, but in concert with it. Markson erases Webster and Nave's guitar riffs in sharp spikes until they interlock like zipper teeth. Salter's drumming thumps with the energy of a raucous basement set properly miniaturized. Even when Kaiser's venomous vocals border on actual singing, as on the alt-rock chorus of “Shame,” Markson is never heavy on the reverb.
