Album Review: Bonez Poley, Inflammable Material

Most debut albums exist in a singular form of an audio recording. Bonez Poley, however, decided to give their audience a treat and release the usual in addition to a video special. Poley recorded the special at Comedy Bar West on their birthday this past May, taking the stage to the sound of their metal band Pisser, Poley’s voice ringing clear alongside a wailing guitar. In the video special, the viewer sees Poley stoking a fire that soon settles, its embers smouldering as they pick up their notebook and walks away to start to show.

The visual element of the recording not only allows for those who weren’t physically present to feel better connected, but Poley’s physical comedy helps the material to come to life as it is animated before one’s eyes. A range of topics are covered, indicated by the 12 track list names, all of which link to a personal story from Poley’s life. 

Of course, the album is littered with music references, seeing as music bears such a big influence on their life. Those references and the subject matter at large cease to feel forced though. Everything flows freely in a casual and colloquial way, even when it’s an obscure topic like illegal death goals, covered in the aptly titled “Death Goals”, found on track 10. Poley also laments about the shared experience of not being able to pee whenever and wherever, unlike those with a penis, featured in track 7’s “I Need a Dick”. The preceding track 6, “Penis Bong” is another one of these situations the listener can identify with: pretending to like a gift they’ve received, penis-shaped smoking apparatus or not. Listeners may also find themselves being able to empathize with Poley in having worked and been fired from copious jobs. Relatable material like that – highlighted in track 9’s “Minimum Wage” – makes the subject matter come even more to life. 

It’s such familiar and identifiable content that aids in breaking up some of the occurrences that listeners might be unable to share in. Regardless, the album, in whichever format you should choose to digest it, is a nice half an hour spent, one that certainly entertains.

Inflammable Material was released on May 30, 2023.
Listen to it here. Watch it here.