To me, EVNNE has always felt like a group with an identity crisis. They’ve tried on many boy group styles over the past few years. Some have been more successful than others, but few have pointed toward any sort of signature sound for the guys. After hearing this spring’s Backtalk, I was eager for them to move away from the “rage” genre, but new single Look At Ma doubles down on that genre’s worst instincts.

Here, we have a strange hybrid between trap and alt-rock anthem. Look At Ma is driven by tired, repetitive phrasing and a downright ugly hook that twists melody into a bellowing shout. The instrumental overpowers throughout, but not in a fun, bombastic way. Instead, each element is more unpleasant than the last, lumbering forward like a bull in a china shop. A song like this is meant to pump you up, but all I hear is dreary repetition. It feels weirdly confrontational and angry with all its “look at me! look at me!” posturing, and although the performance is free from overly obvious vocal warping it comes across as gnats buzzing in your ear as you try to swat them away. It’s a very unpleasant two-and-a-half minutes.

Grade: D-