Snapped Ankles - “Rhythm Is Our Business”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Gang of Four, Devo, Fontaines D.C.

Urgent post punk that draws from eclectic 80s rock, Snapped Ankles perform angular, jangly rhythms and psychedelic rock explorations across their three studio records. Afrobeat and funk also inform Snapped Ankles’ sound, most recently collected on 2021 full-length Forest of Your Problems. Tracks exploding in percussive intensity and bleeding into one another, Forest of Your Problems is an addictive, complete piece that is somehow both nostalgic and future-facing. Speak-sing vocals, guitars, and synths all take the lead in addition to Snapped Ankles’ killer rhythm section, capturing a sound that feels live even on a studio release. Musical fusion aside, Snapped Ankles music is as danceable as it is weird and their live sets look to be raucous and mysterious affairs, qualities of some of the best art-rock of the past half-decade. (Kevin McStravick)