TAXIDERMY: ‘Let Go’ EP Review

Oscillating between moments of unsettling calm and explosive catharsis, Danish noise-rock outfit Taxidermy’s sophomore EP Let Go methodically dismantles expectations. This isn’t merely an invitation into chaos—it’s a calculated dissection of sonic boundaries, where tension and release are manipulated with surgical precision. Across these four tracks, Let Go reveals a band confidently expanding their artistic vocabulary while remaining rooted in the visceral intensity that defines their sound.

Following their acclaimed debut EP Coin, which garnered attention from underground tastemakers like Outside Noise and Rosy Overdrive, Taxidermy have returned with a four-track exploration that deepens their visceral sonic territory. Released through Pink Cotton Candy Records, Let Go serves as an open-ended counterpart to its predecessor, diving further into bleak landscapes of control and disorder.

The Danish quartet draws inspiration from a lineage of noise-rock pioneers and post-punk experimentalists, blending the confrontational intensity of METZ with the structural complexity of Black Midi. Yet Taxidermy resist mere imitation, instead forging their own identity through vocalist Osvald Reinhold’s desperate, manic delivery and the band’s willingness to incorporate unexpected elements like brass and strings into their abrasive soundscapes.

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Opening track ‘Tumbling’ wastes no time establishing the band’s ethos, launching with frenetic guitar chords that harken back to post-hardcore’s heyday. The rhythmic backbone provides a deceptive stability beneath Reinhold’s cryptic vocal fragments: “Defined by a cigarette / Defined by an empty hand.” These lyrical shards evoke the indecipherable tradition of mathcore veterans Botch, where meaning emerges less from narrative but from emotional resonance.

‘Impending’, the EP’s first single, showcases Taxidermy’s growing compositional maturity. A hazy horn introduction creates an unsettling atmosphere before gnawing background instrumentation gradually builds into inescapable anxiety. Rather than culminating in predictably explosive release, the track instead offers a whimpering, distortion-drenched cry from a distance. The controlled tension and partial release recalls the calculated discomfort of The Jesus Lizard‘s ‘Monkey Trick’, demonstrating that true tension comes from restraint as much as chaos.

The EP’s longest offering, ‘You Are Here Now’, begins with contemplative passages that momentarily suggest a drift toward Godspeed You! Black Emperor territory before abruptly recoiling into familiar noise-rock terrain. Its chorus delivers signature controlled chaos—bite-sized distorted guitar fragments bouncing off each other in a precise mess reminiscent of Daughters at their most unhinged, balancing drone-like passages with unfiltered sonic eruptions.

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Title track ‘Let Go’ brings the collection to its fitting conclusion, opening with sombre restraint before building towards blasting, razor-sharp riffing that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Deafheaven record. The track’s movement between contemplative strumming and blast beat-driven intensity encapsulates the EP’s central thesis: that beauty and brutality are not opposing, but complementary elements of the same emotional spectrum.

Let Go succeeds not merely as a collection of loud noise-rock tracks, but as a cohesive journey through states of anxiety, rage, contemplation, and release. While firmly rooted in post-punk and noise-rock traditions, Taxidermy demonstrate a varying range of qualities from maturity, eccentricity, restraint and compositional sophistication that sets them apart from their contemporaries.

In a landscape where experimental rock often succumbs to either self-indulgent meandering or one-dimensional aggression, Taxidermy have found the fertile middle ground where emotional authenticity meets sonic adventure. Let Go is an impressive sophomore release, as well as a statement of purpose from a band unafraid to embrace the contradictions and tensions inherent in their meticulously crafted sound.

Let Go will be available on all major streaming platforms from May 16th, 2025. The first single ‘Impending’ drops March 28th, 2025.