Chris Sutter seems to be looking over his shoulder a lot. There’s something matching his footsteps, something that he can’t quite place, an “anxious doom” demanding “payment due,” shapelessly shifting, “coming for you”. It’s nameless, but he calls it ‘The Incessant,’ on the title track of this third album by Chicago punks Meat Wave. As the track dances along, a weird noise-rock hybrid of cabaret punk and self-loathing lyricism, Sutter is enthralled by this weird, creeping thing that crawls back in on itself, matched by acerbic guitar lines and a sense of existential dread, terror that permeates throughout the entire record.
‘The Incessant’ is a brooding, noisy, enthralling slice of post-punk that carries a weighty sense of foreboding. Looking inwards for inspiration, with Sutter drawing on the collapse of a twelve year relationship and his near-death experience from a ruptured appendix, Meat Wave use their own personal experiences to paint an expansive sonic canvas. Coupled with their heavy Fugazi and Hot Snakes influenced post-hardcore, the atmosphere they create places equal emphasis on frantically rhythmic riffs and spacious breaks. On early album highlight ‘Run You Out’, this formula creates a pounding verse that is matched perfectly by a chorus riff that bends inwards on itself before spiralling into nothing.
As a three piece, they make every instrument work: drummer Ryan Wizniak provides a constant pounding anchor on each song and Sutter’s guitar work takes centre stage on songs like roaring opener ‘To Be Swayed’ and ‘Bad Man’. When his riffing is more subdued, like on the ambiguous ‘No Light’, bassist Joe Gac fills the spaces with grinding grooves that harmonically complement the spacious guitars, creating the perfect soundscape for late night terror drives. ‘No Light’, along with penultimate track ‘Birdland,’ are masterful, brooding expanses that help ‘The Incessant’ revel in sheer existential terror without ever feeling too abrasive or unwelcome.
There’s a huge range of depth on offer here and most of that is due to the legendary production work of Steve Albini. Able to find the sweet spot that lets the character of each track emerge in due course, Albini’s production is the key to this record. It provides the ‘In Utero’-esque sounding drum kit on ‘Tomosaki’, allows songs like ‘Glass Teeth’ to be both crushing and fragile, and makes the hardcore bruiser ‘Bad Man’ effortlessly move into a self-loathing ambient bridge where Sutter howls “future Chris is running away!”. Every song’s character is coaxed out in the production and there’s only one song on the album that doesn’t scrub up well. The derivative angular post-hardcore ‘Leopard Print Jet Ski’ can’t get away from its These Arms Are Snakes influences, and its cluttered, messy bridge with duelling guitar parts fighting for the same register.
Still, only one duff song on an album isn’t bad at all and the claustrophobia created throughout ‘The Incessant’ makes for an intense, ambient record. When Meat Wave are at their best, they come across as a more angular, aggressive And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead, possessing their penchant for huge, ambient bridges and driving riffs. This is a dark, raw and multi-faceted record that reveals a new side to these angsty punks. Just keep an eye out over your shoulder for anything sneaking up behind you.
MATTHEW WILSON