Review: Couch Slut ‘You Could Do It Tonight’
New Yorkers Couch Slut have been active since 2012 and are comprised of Kevin Hall (bass), Theo Nobel (drums), Amy Mills (guitars), Megan Osztrosits (vocals) and newbie guitarist Dylan Dilella (Pyrrhon/Solo) who replaces original member Kevin Wunderlich. The band already have three full-length studio albums to their name, 2014’s My Life As A Woman, 2017’s Contempt and 2020’s Take A Chance On Rock ‘n’ Roll.
You Could Do It Tonight, their latest long-player continues the band’s penchant for darkly satirical album art that bring to mind Raymond Pettibon’s work on early SST releases as well as the cover of Slayer’s Hell Awaits, the latter perhaps indicative of the band’s metallic leanings.
Speaking of metal, traces of it are evident on Couch Slut Lewis thanks to a guest appearance from Dilella‘s Pyrrhon bandmate Doug Moore and his filthy death growl style vocals. Meshing perfectly with the band’s bruising sludge punk it opens the album on a disturbingly nihilistic note, a strong indicator of what to potentially expect.
Ode To Jimbo‘s main riff is infectious and described by frontwoman Osztrosits as the band’s first ever love song. Imagine a mid-tempo Darkthrone on albums like Viking Thunder with a suitably lo-fi music video in tow. Possibly the best track the band has ever written. For Wilkinson’s Sword, the promo-notes state it to be the ‘self-harm anthem of the year’ which, despite its grim lyrical subject matter, has a strong melodic streak. There’s a grungy vibe, reminding you of Nirvana at their most unhinged and a touch of The Wipers unique brand of punk rock. It’s fantastic whatever genres you wish to ascribe to it or artists you wish to draw comparisons to.
Couch Slut have produced a misanthropic, bleak and punishingly heavy masterpiece…
The Donkey seemingly pays homage to Killdozer and God Bullies with a dark sardonic wit as well as an abrasive noise-rock attack. The band also demonstrate a willingness to experiment with the latter part of the song delving into the no-wave of Sonic Youth and that band’s iconic bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon. The musical exploration doesn’t stop there, Presidential Welcome features Joseph Bone an elderly filmmaker and Jimbo bar regular who delivers a Bukowski-esque spoken-word monologue with a jazz backing. Both tracks prove the band have the courage or ‘cojones’ to challenge their audience.
Energy Crystals For Healing sees an embrace of both hardcore punk and math rock, the latter in the vein of Dazzling Killmen and Blind Idiot God. This is a dizzying number which showcases a band at the peak of their creative powers. Downhill Racer is a combination of Today Is The Day, Greg Ginn guitar flourishes and Doug Moore from Pyrrhon’s aforementioned vocal contributions, all of which makes for a nasty toxic sonic stew but one that’s all the more satisfying.
Laughing And Crying sees more ugliness with a fictional story weaved around a home invasion taking place on Christmas Eve and a real-life incident that saw drummer Nobel himself a victim to such a robbery. The slow, agonizing grind does a perfect job of evoking what must have been a harrowing experience. The Weaversville Home For Boys is the album’s longest track at nearly seven minutes and once again sees black metal utilised, albeit with a little prog injected courtesy of messers Mills and Dilella. Oxbow and their man mountain vocalist Eugene Robinson spring to mind here too, not a terrible way to sign off the album.
Couch Slut have produced a misanthropic, bleak and punishingly heavy masterpiece that belongs in the pantheon of noise-rock greats as Goat, Willpower and Unsane. A solid contender for album of the year.
Label: Brutal Panda Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
