Gogol Bordello have never been a band to shy away from experimentation , amalgamations, or fighting against the curve. Eugene Hütz’s merry band of continental punks return with their first release since 2022’s Solidaritine, a release steeped in personal feelings that acted as an outlet to speak up during a time of political unrest. And while the landscape of the world may not appear any brighter some three and a half years later, We Mean It, Man! not only provides warmth but a slew of anthems that will bring people together even more.
Perhaps most strikingly of all on first listen to the record is the band’s evolution from their more usual frantic energy to a punchier, more fine-tuned, and full-bodied output. Working alongside producers Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Adam “Atom” Greenspan (Amyl & The Sniffers, IDLES), this record evolves from the band’s more synonymous folk-punk to a more futuristic sound, incorporating more techno-like beats and a belief that each track’s individuality could lead down its own musical path in a completely different direction from the last.
“iIt makes you want to stand up on the table, stomp your foot, and clap your hands”
The titular track, ‘We Mean It, Man!’ drives into your brain, already feeling like it is in fifth gear. As a song, it makes you want to stand up on the table, stomp your foot, and clap your hands – after a wild night, it is last orders in the tavern. But this is what Bordello does best, catchy songwriting highlighted by catchier instrumental accompaniment. Never more so than when followed up straight away by ‘Life Is Possible Again’, a track that takes the exuberance of that tavern-like singalong from the track before and brings it down to clutching your best mate close and singing into each other’s ears and hearts. As an anthem during a period of unrest not just in Ukraine but throughout the world, this song feels like hope for a safer and better tomorrow for all.
What , however, makes Gogol Bordello stand out is their ability to genre-warp like a futuristic time machine. Tracks like ‘Hater Liquidator’ and ‘Ignition’ feel like they could have fallen off a record shelf anywhere from 1980s disco to an evening on the West End or Broadway.
It may be one of the most punk-like characteristics in their body of work that you can’t simply put the band themselves into one set genre, let alone this album. They’re the best kind of Frankenstein’s monster; gritty and gnarly enough for a mosh pit in a dimly lit cave, bedazzled and glamorous enough for a night under a sequin ball.
“They could have fallen off a record shelf anywhere from 1980s disco to an evening on the West End or Broadway.”
This doesn’t , however, come without some flaws.
At times throughout the record, its pacing can feel a little bit off. Too regularly, perhaps, it could feel like a stop-start gym workout – one moment bouncing and energetic, the next taking a cool-down period before expecting you to sprint again.
It isn’t an album that lacks length, and perhaps shaving a song or two may have helped keep this record pulsing throughout. Particular credit, though, goes to the track ‘From Boyarka to Boyaca’ alongside artist Puzzled Panther. The eclectic mixing of Eastern Slavic punk with Latin American flair creates a standout that , once it fully gets into motion, makes you want to run from one side of the world to the other. It is a joyous explosion of noise; vibrant and emphatic. We Mean It, Man! is Gogol Bordello operating at their most ferocious while adding in some more nuanced discipline. By fusing their sound with more experimentation, more influence, and more creativity , they’ve created a soundtrack for thriving in and amidst the chaos of the modern world.