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Third Coast Review: No Men at Lincoln Hall

“There are what seems like thousands of local bands in Chicago but No Men doesn’t disappoint, where they lack in quantity they make up in quality. They’re a loud catchy three piece that in some regard reminds you of Sleater Kinney but also Ty Segall. It’s easy to prop any band so high up but it’s the respectable thing to do with No Men. Luckily you can catch them at the Logan Square Arts Festival this summer to see what all the hype is about.” by Brandon Smith READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

CHICAGO READER: Raw Chicago trio No Men bask in horror movies and pray for doom

photo by Ash Dye / words by Monica Kendrick

The band name of aggressive and exciting Chicago outfit No Men refers to the opposite of “yes men” rather than throwing down a “misandrist” gauntlet—though their abundantly queer and confrontational approach suggests they’re totally fine with weeding out the MRA-type “Red Pillers” and wearers of red hats. After relocating here from Austin in 2014, singer-percussionist Pursley and guitarist DB joined forces with drummer Eric Hofmeister and got down to the business of building a fierce sound through constant gigging. I caught them in the summer of 2017 on a bill with Lydia Lunch Retrovirus and was knocked off my feet by their raw and furious, yet witty and danceable melange of punk, no wave, and hard rock. Their full-length debut, Dear God, Bring the Doom (Geilig), released on cassette in fall 2017, captures that fury; recorded in just two days, it consists of short, efficient, satisfying, eloquent musical snapshots. No Men have also released a Halloween single and some glorious videos—especially the metallic “Stay Dumb,” an homage to classic cult horror films including Psycho and Suspiria.

View At ChicagoReader.com

THESE DAYS FEATURES NO MEN: ALL DOOM, NO GLOOM

No Men

photo by Michael Salisbury / words by Sam Glaser

Heavy bands don’t have to maintain their heavy personality offstage, and you’ll often find the most pleasant people behind the most intense music. Chicago band No Men’s music certainly conjures images of hardened rockers – a van pulling up, passengers looking like they were born in black eyeliner and weathered leather, speaking in short sentences, rolling their eyes at the ordinary world’s lack of terror. Gear battered, cables shorting out, they burst eardrums, return to their rust bucket and drive back into the night.

Continue Reading At TheseDays.news

CHIRP RADIO: “CUT” ALBUM REVIEW

CUT 7” BLOOD RED VINYL

BY SOPHIE HOLTZMAN

If you have not heard of the Chicago band No Men, truly I weep for you. This band relocated from Texas and has done a lot in the years since they’ve been on the scene.

This three-piece act is angry, femme-fronted, vocal supporters of LGBTQ, and are just fantastic artists with a unique sound. Preferably you’ll pause reading this, and listen up on their discography so that you can fully appreciate the importance of their new release, Cut, with Let’s Pretend Records.

This newest release is right on trajectory for our hopes and expectations. Consistent with the sound we know and love, Cut is characterized by a driving percussive pace and diverse melodies. It’s a two track cut and both songs hit that happy balance between aggression, tongue-in-cheek, and empowerment.

The first track, “Cut if Off”, is a testimony to the diverse sounds and styles this band achieves. This song starts with a clean and bobbing progression, to completely decompose into fuzz and grime, just to resurface in wailing tones. Perhaps most impressive to this range is that this is one guitarist milking these sounds out. The vocals compliment this with heavy feed-back, low and dulcet tones and the heavy drums string it all together.

Overall, this release is a necessary part of any punk-enthusiast’s rotation. No Men hits a fresh new sound that keeps their music dynamic and interesting. There’s a tension in the tracks that escalates just to the point of complete chaos, but still retains a succinct coordination and direction. It’s a refreshing approach that makes it easy to loop these tracks.

This band is one of my personal favorites on the Chicago scene right now, and seeing them is believing it. You can give their new album a listen on Bandcamp or Spotify, but after a good listen, I’d suggest getting out to go see a show to see it in person.

Read Review At ChirpRadio.org