“‘Rock’ and ‘punk’ have become so conservative that they are rendering themselves obsolete.” That weighty statement accompanies Naomi Punk’s third album, Yellow, a 25-track double LP released August 4, 2017 on Captured Tracks. Such a harsh assessment of its genre is perhaps unsurprising for a band whose feverish, fractured DIY punk has always hinted at deconstruction and interrogation. The Olympia trio’s songs are discordant and jagged, often playing out like a sparring match between guitars and drums—even their name reads like meta-commentary on their music. Whether you call it introspection or navel-gazing, it’s punk music that takes a hard look at itself and sounds all the more vital for it. by Andrew Gospe