From a band called Meat Wave, you’d expect their latest offering, Delusion Moon, to be a rollicking ride through the obscene and obscure. However, it’s more a triumphant display of what not to do on a punk record.
Meat Wave sound like The Cramps got together with a nascent version of The Horrors and had a baby. That baby then fell in love with FIDLAR and this is their lovechild. The problem is, this child thinks it’s far more talented than it is.
First up, the title track sounds like the opening number on a ‘90s pop punk album. You anticipate things are about to get real deep, but they don’t. Most of the lyrics are techno-centric, especially on track two, Network, which explores the foibles of the modern world. This thematic focus really takes way from music’s transcendental aspect and returns you to the here and now. The chorus of Witchcraft, “I never meant to throw your computer out the window,” sounds ultimately insincere, as singer Chris Sutter doesn’t sound like he’d have the ferocity or the gumption to throw someone’s computer out the window.
Sham King is a rare shining moment on an otherwise aggressively mediocre release, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard before. I Was Wrong also offers something a little different, with a blast of up-and-down noise to bounce your head off a wall. But that’s as good as it gets.
This kind of garage rock/punk hybrid needs to be sincere, which is why The Orwells have killed it and why FIDLAR are going gangbusters. By contrast, Meat Wave come off as a bunch of clean-cut white boys trying to be weird and out there. I’m not buying it. Though, this record may possibly be better after a case of beer.
BY NAVARONE FARRELL
