Weird Music Wednesday: "Castrato Raw (Fullback)" by YHWH Nailgun
A brilliant, if exhausting, exercise in sonic minimalism.
If you’ve ever wanted to listen to an album that sounds like a construction site having a panic attack, YHWH Nailgun’s 45 Pounds is the 21-minute endurance test you’ve been waiting for.
Released in March 2025, this debut is the musical equivalent of a double espresso spiked with battery acid. It is brief, abrasive, and makes no effort to be your friend. The Brooklyn quartet has essentially stripped rock music down to its skeletal remains and then beaten those remains with a variety of metallic objects.
The album operates on a philosophy of “economy over comfort.” With 10 tracks packed into just over 20 minutes, there is zero room for indulgent guitar solos or traditional song structures. Instead, you get Sam Pickard’s hyper-precise drumming—which often sounds like a typewriter being used by the entire Blue Man Group all at once—and Zack Borzone’s vocals, which range from a desperate mumble to a sound that suggests he is being actively chased by the cops for something he may or may not have done.
The production is dry and claustrophobic. There is no reverb to hide behind; every clank of the cowbell and every jagged synth pulse is pushed right into your personal space. It is “dance music” only in the sense that your body might twitch uncontrollably in response to the high-frequency stimuli.
While “Tear Pusher” offers a rare moment of something resembling a slow build, “Castrato Raw (Fullback)” features the most undeniable “punk-funk” rhythm on the album. It’s a relentless, wobbling synth line paired with a drum beat so tight it feels like it’s holding the song together by a bungie stretched to absolute capacity. Borzone is at his most effective here, utilizing a breathy, rhythmic vocal delivery that complements the percussion rather than fighting it, sounding like a man trying to explain a complex conspiracy theory while running a 5K. In just over two minutes, the song establishes a mood of extreme tension, escalates it, and then abruptly stops before you have a chance to get comfortable. It perfectly encapsulates the band’s “get in, break shit, get out” aesthetic.
The Song
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/castrato-raw-fullback/1788987933
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/45-pounds/1788987931