Let’s be honest. You’ve probably heard of Death Grips by now, and you either love them or hate them, so I’m not going to spend any time introducing them. They leaked their second full length album No Love Deep Web onto the internet late last year, which ultimately got them dropped from their record label. They pissed off fans earlier this year when they didn’t show up to their Lollapalooza set. They have continued with their “don’t give a f*ck” attitude and return with the unexpected and completely unannounced third studio album Government Plates released for free on the internet.
What I love so much about Death Grips is that while they still retain loud and abrasive sounds with each consecutive release, they manage to do something a little different each time. That pattern hasn’t changed here.
The 11-track album tops out at 36 minutes, allowing a lot more to be packed into a short amount of time, and that really works for Death Grips. Some songs in the past have just dragged out.
The programming on this album is more in your face and better than ever, which I think is what is most admired of Death Grips. There’s more of a focus on the production and synthesizers on Government Plates, compared to No Love Deep Web where I felt too much emphasis was put on the vocals. See tracks like “Big House”, “This is Violence Now (Dont get me wrong)”, “Whatever I want (Fuck who’s watching)”, and the title track.
Zach Hill’s drumming shines on this album. Songs like “Birds” and the obnoxiously long-titled “You might think he loves you for your money but I know what he really loves your for it’s your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat” really display Hill’s diversity as a drummer, but it’s apparent throughout the entire album that this is some of Hill’s best work with Death Grips to date.
Government Plates takes Death Grips into uncharted territories and comes out winning. Grab the album on one of the numerous drop sites or streams and lend an ear to the mind altering production that Government Plates offers.
Rating: 4.5/5
Stream the album below: