Too Many Humans Explained

Too Many Humans.....
Type:studio
Artist:No Trend
Cover:No_Trend_-_Too_Many_Humans.jpeg
Released:1984
Genre:Noise rock, post-hardcore, no wave, post-punk
Length:36:06
Label:No Trend Records
Producer:Don Zientara, No Trend
Prev Title:Teen Love
Prev Year:1983
Next Title:A Dozen Dead Roses
Next Year:1985

Too Many Humans..... is the debut studio album by the American noise rock band No Trend, released through their own No Trend Records in 1984 on vinyl format. The album is known for its brash, misanthropic lyrics, as evident on tracks such as "Reality Breakdown" and "Mindless Little Insects". It has been described as "nightmarish in all the right ways" and was said to have been influenced by Flipper and Public Image Ltd. The title track would serve as inspiration for Godflesh during the recording of their 1988 album Streetcleaner.[1]

The album was long thought to never be reissued due to the supposed destruction of the original master tapes.[2] However, on May 29, 2020, Drag City released a box set reissue and remaster of the album, along with both versions of Teen Love.[3]

Music and lyrics

The album has been described as violent, misanthropic, noisy, and mean-spirited. Most lyrics mock punk subculture and the social normalities of human life; such as marriage, fashion, and so on. As vocalist Jeff Mentges mentioned in an interview:

...I've always been confused by why what music you listen to would dictate what kind of clothes you wear or what color your hair is. If there's a philosophy in the music you like, you can live by that, but I don't see why you have to be part of a clique, a scene, a movement.[4]

The music heavily centers around Jack Anderson's basslines, while Frank Price's guitar riffs are mostly composed of high pitched guitar feedback. The closer track, "Happiness Is...", features multiple different looped sound samples, layered over a funk-influenced instrumental. The song "For the Fun of It All" would later be rerecorded for the band's follow-up album A Dozen Dead Roses.

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hobsonpublished . Rich . 2022-09-06 . Godflesh's Justin Broadrick: my life in 10 songs . 2023-04-05 . Louder . en.
  2. Web site: The Vinyl District (((Ugly Dwarf: The Story of No Trend))). The Vinyl District. Little, Michael. 25 April 2013. February 15, 2015.
  3. Web site: No Trend – Too Many Humans / Teen Love . Drag City.
  4. Web site: Straus Media . No Trend Didn't Just Go Against The Grain, They Shoved It In The Faces Of The Pretentious Hardcore Fans . Mamone . Jordan. February 15, 2015.