Seth Sutton doesn’t beat around the bush. For a musician only approaching his mid-20s, he’s amassed a huge body of work (predominantly under the Useless Eaters moniker). Band members come and go, but 7”s, EPs and albums abound on labels all over the place. It’s safe to say that when you buy a new Useless Eaters record, you won’t regret it. Temporary Mutilation, Useless Eaters latest five-track EP (out digitally and on 10” vinyl) is another offering to add to the good heap.
The title tracks makes for an interesting opener considering it’s the most left field of the five tracks. It saunters along channelling The Fall; sporadic, noisy but with an eerie pop undertone driven by a tastefully placed xylophone melody. The chord progressions in Breathing Smear are reminiscent of Total Control in their more angst-ridden moments. Poison Dart works its robotic charm over the top of a minimalist electronic drumbeat, while a hedonistic and drone-like riff provides a solid base for some weaving guitar lines to slither all over.
Car Accident Face is the most garage rock‘n’roll number on the EP. Sutton’s never been averse to incorporating elements of pop, and he also knows how to work the standard rock band thing, replete with hooks and pleasing pop progressions when he wants to. Scene + Sequence returns to less obvious reference points, closing the EP with snarling post-punk, propelled by militant snare rolls.
Temporary Mutilation is capricious in nature – a mixed bag of punk, garage, post-punk and experimental noise – but each individual track is delivered with complete resolve. It’s clear that Useless Eaters prefer erratic excellence over monotonous consistency.
BY KRYSTAL MAYNARD
