Reviews

Psychic State

Muffin Get Baked 12″

There’s definitely a punk’n’roll and grunge feel to this six-song record. There’s a sultry quality that can only be felt after last call and in the sticky and stinky breath of bars. I have the distinct feeling that MUFFIN woulda been on top of the college radio charts along with L7, MUDHONEY, HOLE, etc., in all the best ways. Heavy discount bass, and drums that hold back and then plop in to punctuate Madame Muffin’s vocals when needed. Lyrically, they walk the line of wit and sarcasm while maybe leaving you wondering if you might get stabbed for not reading the room correctly. Also, MUFFIN ends this with a pretty great cover of a secret band and song that you’ve probs not thought about since the early ’00s.

There There LP

Sprawling, lush experimental rock from Providence, RI that skillfully meshes elements of dissonant noise punk with layered shoegaze. “Disposable Head” loops a noisy guitar hook against a counterpoint of tense, rising chords to create a textured cloud of arty menace that manages to feel grounded and rich. It’s a kind of anti-shoegaze that is compelling in its power to pull the listener in with catchy, repeated rock band motifs without relinquishing their spirit of atonal experimentation. The nine-minute “Dirtbreather” similarly mixes the sonic vocabulary of aggression and warmth, recalling bands like NOTHING and the more melodic moments of CHAT PILE. Most importantly, at nine minutes, it doesn’t drag for a second, and the same goes for the thirteen-minute, psych-heavy closer, “The Famous Handsome Actor.” THERE wrestles the power of skronk into fresh forms of beauty.