Album Review: Victory Party – Anti Anti
Victory Party’s Anti Anti is one of those albums that sneaks up on you. Released in 2006 under Sharkbite Records, this Alternative Rock gem from the US doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it sure knows how to spin it with style. With artwork by kellytowles.com, the visual vibe matches the music—gritty, raw, and unapologetically real. It’s not perfect, but maybe that’s the point.
The album kicks off with “Winston (Slow Down),” a track that grabs your attention like a stubborn friend who won’t stop yelling at you to chill out. The guitar riffs are punchy, almost like they’re daring you to ignore them, and the vocals have this raspy edge that feels more like a confession than a performance. There’s something about the way the song builds—it starts simple, almost hesitant, but by the end, it’s exploding with energy. You don’t just listen to “Winston (Slow Down)”; you feel it.
Then there’s “Ember,” which hits different. If “Winston” is the loud, chaotic party, “Ember” is the quiet afterparty where everyone’s too tired to leave but still wants to talk about life. The melody is hauntingly beautiful, with a bassline that lingers like smoke in a dimly lit room. The lyrics are cryptic enough to make you think but personal enough to feel intimate. I’ve caught myself humming this one on random afternoons, even though I’m not entirely sure what it’s about. And honestly? That’s part of its charm.
Tracks like “The World I Know” and “Clarity Is…” round out the album with their own flavors, but they don’t stick in my brain the way “Winston” and “Ember” do. Maybe it’s because those two tracks capture the essence of Anti Anti—a mix of chaos and calm, noise and silence, frustration and hope.
Looking back, Anti Anti feels like a snapshot of mid-2000s rock, when bands were still figuring out how to balance experimentation with authenticity. Victory Party doesn’t always nail it, but when they do, it’s magic. And honestly, isn’t that what rock music’s all about? Not perfection, but passion.
Final thought: Listening to this album makes me wonder if Victory Party ever got tired of people mispronouncing their name as “Victory Party Rock.” Probably.
