On Louden Up Now, !!! have progressed toward a slicker, more disco-oriented sound. The band generally forgo the sloppy horn lines and heavy punk riff backbone of their debut, opting instead for slow, trance-like builds. At the heart of the album is a suffocating, dark electro-acoustic disco smog that recalls Black Devil's 1979 Disco Club EP, as well as Larry Levan, Walter Gibbons, and Arthur Russell's more pessimistic contributions to the disco underground. All of which is to say that the production on Louden Up Now is particularly commendable. Over the course of songs such as the first single "Pardon My Freedom", "Shit Scheisse Merde (Part 1)", and album highlight "Hello? Is This Thing On?", the !!! rhythm section boasts not only an adroit shape-shifting timbre, but enough subtlety for close listening. Louden Up Now isn't all dancefloor thrills, however: !!! smartly dodge pigeonholes and one-trick-pony accusations with some less punchy moves, such as the psychedelic grind of "Dear Can" and the bright but blunted moonbounce of "Theme from Space Island". On "Shit Scheisse Merde (Part 2)", the band even curiously infringe on the drum sampling and sparse rhythmic figures of their sister group Out Hud.