Another release bearing the Erste Theke seal of quality and indeed this one's a huge step ahead for the Oakland group after a more garage- and synth punk-leaning debut tape in 2019. Now they've transformed into a way more sophisticated post punk sound that comes across as moody yet conspicuously song-oriented and catchy all the same, a quality you might have also noticed in the most recent material by Marbled Eye, whose member(s) are also lending a hand in this new kickass record. Imbued with a psychedelic haze that reminds me a bit of Chairs Missing / 154-era Wire at times, you might just as well compare their elaborate song constructs to a diverse cluster of such contemporary genre cornerstones as Institute, Rank/Xerox, Public Eye, Diät, VR Sex, Bruised, Waste Man or early Paint Thinner.
Already a handful of releases into their discography, we kinda know what to expect from a new Flat Worms record by now. However, that doesn't mean they're standing still exactly. Rather, with every new release they managed to focus on and expand upon a certain facet of their garage-, psychedelic- and fuzz punk sound, keeping things fresh and interesting at all times. This time, recording with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, the result does not only show Albini's trademark sonic characteristics, but also their overall sound seems to embrace some of his legacy as a producer audio engineer, veering into a distinctly noise rock/postcore direction that, once again, was always subtly present on their previous records but never as much on display as here and might be compared to contemporary bands like Meat Wave, Metz or USA Nails. Other small but pleasant surprises come in the form of the title track - a garage jam you could almost describe as relaxed - as well as the 90s indie rock vibes in Market Forces.
