On repeat: Meat Wave's "Malign Hex"

This album rules

Photo by Patrick Houdek

Meat Wave knows how to channel furious reality. If you think you’re ready, like T.C. in A Few Good Men, this Chicago band will be your Jack Nicholson, blaring an anthem of “You can’t handle the truth.”

On Malign Hex (out Friday via Swami Records), the punk trio remains glued to that bleak worldview that fueled the breakout 2017 album The Incessant. You can’t blame them for observing and reporting. Hell, who hasn’t felt the stunning paralysis that comes with the late 20s/early 30s? That you’re “surfing in a waveless tide”? That you’re “clocked in for the rest of time”?

Though the subject matter gives us pause, Malign Hex isn’t a drag. Sarcasm shines in songs like "Ridiculous Car,” which features guitars seemingly built for a standoff between Speed Racer and Rex. You’ll hear that attitude in lyrics on “Merchandise Mart” (“I can smell your hair from here”) and in the backhanded compliments of capitalism on “Honest Living” (“It’s effortless/Feeding the quo”). On the opening track titled “Disney,” singer/guitarist Chris Sutter reckons with inundating himself with “baseless Disney information.” Whatever humor there is goes pitch black as Sutter suggests They Live-style tactics to deal with it all.

There are hints of personal affairs on “Disney” as well as songs like “10 K,” “Jim’s Teeth” and “Waveless.” Sutter keeps it all at arm’s length, but he doesn’t have to go into detail. Given the past 2-3 years, it’s easy to relate to these tales of frustration juxtaposed along scenes of a capitalistic society that continues to churn out content.

Meat Wave juggles the act of giving the necessary medicine by continuing to roll out music that’s as vital. You can feel the “trudging through the slime” on “Merchandise Mart” in bassist Joe Gac’s riff. Gac even shows off a bit on “Honest Living,” punctuating guitar lines with melodic stabs. Drummer Ryan Wizniak’s timing has only gotten better as evidenced by the pocket created on “What Would You Like Me To Do?”. Don’t worry, though: Wizniak can still give those uptempo, Steve Shelley-like beats on “Waveless” or “Honest Living.” Sutter has gone deeper lyrically, but that doesn’t take away from his guitar work. For every major/minor transition as heard on the breakdown for “Ridiculous Car,” Sutter has leaned into these spooky arpeggios that fill the space with just the right amount of reverb.

Though Malign Hex has a few overdubs and was parsed over more than the two-week sprint of The Incessant, the new album doesn’t sound like some super-produced follow-up. This is Meat Wave, after all. They’re not here to give you some glossy effects and love songs. They’re here to give you the truth. Here’s to hoping you can handle it.