A Laughing Death In Meatspace

Gnarly, loud, anarchic, thrillingly damning new group featuring Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin of The Drones, one of Australia’s most intense and legendary rock bands. (Drummer Lauren Hammel and guitarist/noisemaker Erica Dunn are also Australian punk royalty.) Full of life and rage, just fun to play loud. Liddiard’s snarling and brilliant rants make him sound like an Australian Sleaford Mods or Mark E. Smith or Bill Hicks fronting a bad-trip Crazy Horse. Also RIYL The Birthday Party/Nick Cave, New War. Don’t sleep on this. TFS is the band’s self-made abbreviation, so you can use that on the radio instead of their full name. Favorites: 1 (during safe harbor), 4, 8, 9. FCC WARNING: 1, 2, 5.

1. *(5:41)—FCC (s***). Slow strut, kind of lurid. Great group choruses. The finish is out-of-control amazing and makes this a must-play during safe harbor.
2. (5:14)—FCC (f***). Slow, seasick, noisy. Disorienting synths.
3. (4:30)—Mid-tempo, funky in a junkyard way. Super warped keyboard noises.
4. *(4:25)—Fast, crunchy beat. Wiry guitars. Vocals like a playground chant. Kasparov plays Deep Blue and has horrifying visions of the future. Liddiard shouts Steve Jobs’s name with casual disgust.
5. (4:33)—Fast, rocking rave-up. Nice guitar noise.
6. (5:48)—FCC (lots). Slow, kind of danceable, Sleigh Bells-esque choruses. Liddiard ends a line screaming “Top Gun 2!” Also, “Now they’re all in heaven with their BeeGees Christ. Their souls are set free yet somebody’s already buying ‘em.”
7. (5:35)—Instrumental. Sad sci-fi synths. Lovely, woozy guitar. Alien vocals.
8. *(5:30)—Mid-tempo, melodic, surprisingly beautiful, anthemic. First line: “The valley engineers called the end times Meatspace.”
9. *(6:01)—Medium-fast, groovy, driving. Desert blues guitar. Great group choruses. Cool and controlled until the explosive finish. “The world’s way too connected and all anybody does it fight, staging their crypto inquisitions all in multiple choice.”