Existential Threat – Chaos Idea (Album Review)

The alternative/punk trio rock their way through high-energy tracks that are as contemplative as they are boisterous.

Existential Threat, a trio of musicians composed of bassist/vocalist Kid Confusion, guitarist/vocalist Duke (Of Earl) Duncan and drummer/vocalist Clyde X Spyre, were formed in Pompano Beach in Florida and dropped their first single Summer Of Hate in 2022. Mixing punk, alternative, indie and folk music styles to best present their songs of rebellion and social criticism, the group crafted a sound filled with character and a furious need to be heard by as many listeners as possible. Indeed, the group’s passion in their music is undeniable, and upon dropping their new full album Chaos Idea in December 2024, the group’s musical identity sounds appropriately developed through the album’s 14 tracks.

With the jittering beats of the opening track ‘Five In The Morning’, listeners are introduced to the group’s often nostalgic, Beatles-esque sound with the track’s upbeat acoustic chorus belying its solemn lyrics (“Five in the morning, nothing good can happen”). This leads faultlessly into second track ‘Call It What It Is’ which features, like all the other tracks on the album, joint vocal choruses from the three musicians, which lends their sound a unique musical texture. This time, melancholy chords exacerbate the lyrics’ vow to strip away all ignorance and tell a bad situation as it is (“We both know it’s wrong, we’ve known it all along”).

The upbeat tempo and enticing guitar strums of ‘Goldstar Super Moon’ will have listeners humming and swaying to this short but sweet track that highlights the fun, tongue-in-cheek tone of some of the band’s tracks. This breezy tone is carried through into ‘Every Step Of My Heart’, where clashing percussion punctuates a catchy chorus again dominated by sombrely wistful lyrics (“Feel the wind on my eyes and the sun in my hair”).

Alternatively, the lyrics of ‘Cliche (It Is What It Is)’ seem more cynical if still a little light-hearted (“At the end of the day, it is what it is”); celebrating the unpredictable nature of love and life amidst the vocalists’ enthusiastic delivery and joyful guitar accompaniment. ‘Weapon Eyes’ also seems to adopt a poetically musing tone about the many different signals eyes can send (“You can shoot a dirty look with your weapon eyes”).

‘I Couldn’t, I Wouldn’t, I Won’t’ has a fun, retro indie-folk feel to it as a result of a merry chord progression as well as alternative uses of percussion by Spyre, which lends the track variety. It has to be noted that the production on this album sounds decidedly unpolished, which is a feature that really works for the group’s edgy old-school style. ‘No Fun Anymore’ similarly taps into a classic indie-rock sound paired with cynical lyrics bemoaning times gone by (“There’s no soul anymore, yeah we sold it”); ensuring that many fans of this retro sound are sure to love tracks like these.

Perhaps one criticism is that with the trio choosing to sing in unison on each track, emotional resonance that could be felt on songs such as the mournful love song ‘Sometimes I Like It’ is surrendered in favour of a ‘singalong’ vocal style. Maybe putting one voice at the forefront of the mix while letting the other vocalists back them would allow for better emotional delivery of the lyrics and ensure that each track on the album better stands out; a factor that would make the group’s music even more accessible to future listeners.

While they may not be majorly experimenting with their sound, what they have musically is very promising, as evidenced by the sunny indie-rock bop ‘Quick As Lightning (Crossing The Sky)’ about a summer to remember, the deceptively cheerful sounding ‘What I Know’ about the rocky end of a relationship, and the introspective love song ‘Keep It To Myself’. The trio’s songwriting talents are also highlighted within the cleverly curated lyrics of ‘Cynically Naive’, as the vocalists croon their way through memorable lines (“He said you refuse to feel, she said feeling’s getting away”) over the top of a rousing beat and a captivating chorus of acoustic guitars.

The final and longest track of the album ‘Trying To Figure It Out’ is perhaps one of the most memorable; from the almost surf-rock eagerness of the guitar-led intro, to the hummable verses and easy melodies of the chorus, Existential Threat ensures that listeners end this album on a high and with a healthy dose of punk nostalgia.

Score/Good: Existential Threat proves with Chaos Idea that their music is made with as much old-school heart as it is with modern age punk grit, and it makes for an enjoyable combination. Maybe some experimentation with vocals and style would go a long way to make their sound more accessible to a wider audience, but anyone with an inclination towards a classic punk/indie sound are sure to find joy in this album.

[We rank albums, EPs and singles on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, Outstanding]

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