Brutal punk-jazz never underskronkingly told from the reliably intense Mats Gustafsson and pals on a mostly enjoyable blast through seven tunes where the nuances are darkly provided by vocalist Sofia Jernberg. Gustafsson is maxed up in typically bulldozing form with fellow reedist Kjetil Møster and multi-tasking baritonist/bass guitarist Anders Hana.

Why Do You Mourn counterintuitively - meaning if a blinkeringly unwielding style fetishist unable to see beyond the free-jazz horizon - includes a reborn, pleasingly primitive, quasi-pentatonic free floating version of creamy pure toned classic jazz singer Rigmor Gustafsson ballad 'Winter Doesn't End' co-written with Anders Lundin that appeared on 2019 ACT release Come Home. Jernberg radically reupholsters the song in such a squally, distinctive arrangement that rests on a dazzlingly detuned pitch and flute coating rendering it genre-less.

Drummer Børge Fjordheim does not mess about on an almost cartoon-ish third album the Scandi outfit recorded in a Stavanger studio in 2021-22. Shrieks keeping it edgily real by banishing all supper club niceties at every fork in the road.

Mats Gustafsson, photo: via Bandcamp

MORE READING AND LISTENING:

• Koma Saxo With Sofia Jernberg's Koma Kaprifol reviewed - 2021
• The Thing live at the Vortex - 2010