Origami Angel’s Testament to Friendship
By Nat Szczepanski
In late April, D.C.’s fan-favorite Origami Angel released GAMI GANG — the highly anticipated follow up to Somewhere City (2019). This double-length album features twenty non-stop emo-punk tracks, tackling the angst associated with the weird grey void that is young adulthood and its relationships. The two-piece group finds new ways to empathize with audiences in the span of fifty minutes, utilizing their arsenal of twinkly riffs and head-banging drums.
The instrumental opener to the LP, “#GAMIGANG,” is heavily reminiscent of the music played in a hype video for one of the many big-time sports teams, bringing with it the energy that a long album such as this requires. The barely 28 second track builds slowly at first with the sound of bells looping over and over and a distant electronic chello cutting in every so often, its echo traveling from the left ear to the right. An electronic snare rattles in and gives way to the bass-laden kick drum and electro filler. Its inclusion on an emo influenced album is bizarre to say the least but it works as the segue into the next track “Self-Destruct,” as it too contains hints of an electronic element behind ripping guitars.
GAMI GANG experiments with the use of sound clips grabbed from movies and shows alike. Their inclusion sprinkled throughout is not only just a treat for the ears; instead, their purpose is to sometimes comment on the track they’re attached to, eliminate the blank space between songs, and provide a laugh or two. Up-beat “Kno U” ends with a conversation between Jimmy Neutron and Sheen Estevez, characters from the Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, while bible-centered “Noah Fence” quotes Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle. As the track speaks about door-to-door preachers’ description of heaven sounding like time spent with a partner, it ends with Dewey saying “What kind of god makes children think when they're not even in school?” (Season 4, Episode 22).
As a whole, the album showcases the abilities of Ryan Heagy (guitar, vocals, bass) and Pat Doherty (drums) to keep a genre fresh. Notable tracks such as “Neutrogena Spektor” and “Caught in the Moment” hug that traditional emo sound while of course staying true to the mesmerizing riffs of Origami Angel. If looking for something a bit more akin to midwest emo, “Greenbelt Station” stands as the lone breather in an LP otherwise packed full of fast paced, math rock inspired interludes. Surely the track’s lyrics “But we both needed something the other can’t provide/So you cut down your branches/Exposed where I would hide/And still when I feel that I can't go on/I think of where you are now” is an example of the emotional depth apparent within. GAMI GANG stands as a testament to the realization that sometimes you aren’t where you want to be yet, and that comparing your place in the world to others isn’t the best thing for you. All you need to get by is a few friends and the realization that there are others in the same place as you.