In My Mind

by Heather PharesNumbers return with their most focused set of songs yet on their second full-length, In My Mind All the Time. While remaining true to the blocky, almost childlike dance-punk of their previous work, the trio embellishes its sound in exciting ways, making In My Mind All the Time the band's most expansive work to date as well. Granted, this isn't an especially difficult feat; Numbers' early releases were chaotic enough that the added structure the group brings to these songs makes it possible to add some clarity and diversity without sounding slick. In My Mind All the Time's last two songs reflect where Numbers has been and where the band is going: "Obsessed" is a violent miniature reminiscent of their Life work, with a theme that fits their deliberately repetitive sound perfectly. The Krautrock-inspired instrumental "Feelings," meanwhile, begins with three and a half minutes of droning synths (in which time the band could easily crank out three and a half songs) before guitars and drums fall into subdued step behind them. However, most of In My Mind All the Time isn't as polarized as either of these tracks; most of the songs are on the short side, but there's a lot going on in each one. "Drunk With Pain"'s chugging guitars and grooves have a downright Devo-like precision that exemplifies the mix of simplicity and complexity within Numbers' music. "Waiting" is the closest the band has ever come to a ballad, contrasting its relatively slow verses with the impatiently ping-ponging melodies in its choruses (the band also gets extra points for giving the word "wait" two syllables). And "Anything," with its appealingly jumbled melody and singsongy vocals, is probably Numbers' poppiest song yet. Even when the band's songs weren't this accessible, Numbers has always had more fun with their no wave dance-punk than most of their contemporaries have; In My Mind All the Time offers plenty of playfulness as well, particularly on "Product Lust," another of the band's whimsical but still pointed attacks on mindless consumerism. On "Dance Attack," the Numbers-style self-help of "I Will Smile More," and the germphobic rant "Disease," Indra Dunis' smothered vocals make her sound like she's the spazzy kid sister of Adult.'s Nicola Kuperus. "We're Numbers" takes the band's quirky bent to nearly Servotron-like levels of gimmickry, but its low-res beats and spazzy guitars give it some musical substance. Indeed, all of In My Mind All the Time proves that Numbers' music can be more polished and complex without compromising the noisy, witty edge that made it so entertaining in the first place.