LISTEN: Venice Treacle’s “Bad Aji” Is Immersive Post-punk With Hypnotic Melodies

Groove-enhanced quirk punk for the progressively confused (file under no-wave, kosmische psychedelia, and quank), Venice Treacle mixes acid-sharp guitar riffs with rapturous rhythms to make songs for our troubled times. Formed in 2024 from unspooled cassette tapes and named after the English version of Theriac — the world’s first branded pharmaceutical — the band offers an antidote to modern madness.

The music of Venice Treacle is riddled with nuanced messages, urgent in disposition, but this is far from a collection of musicians attempting to fit their niche interests and facts into heady post-punk. “Bad Aji,” the latest single from this band, is a chugging, unforgettable introduction to the balance Venice Treacle strikes between intellect and off-kilter fun. The simplistic yet colorful tune tells the inevitable tale of a technology revolution, and how humans seem to be welcoming it. Sleek, glistening guitars drive the arrangement as nimble drum patterns dance along with the unpredictable tonal and melodic shifts, creating an abstract canvas for the cartoonish vocals to paint their masterpiece. The narrative on “Bad Aji” is rooted in reality, but the band takes creative liberties to soften the blow of the harsh realizations detailed on their new single. With a psychedelic flair and fearless experimentation, Venice Treacle delves into humanity’s downfall and makes it infectious. 

“‘Bad Aji’ is inspired by a single strange move from a game-playing software program that rewrote what intelligence could mean,” explains the band. “Now, as technology changes how (and if) we use our minds, Venice Treacle brings you entirely human music designed to help you lose them.”