Review: mclusky ‘i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley’
mclusky made the number one spot in my Top Ten Of 2025 with their spectacular comeback album the world is still here and so are we, so it was hardly a huge shocker that I chose to cover its follow-up EP i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley when offered the opportunity to do so by The Shaman.
This latest release started life as something of a stop-gap for the band – who, in case you’d forgotten, are Andrew Falkous (guitar/vocals), Damien Sayell(bass/vocals) and Jack Egglestone(drums/percussion/vocals) – as a means of promoting the North American tour. However, I see it as the trio taking advantage of the momentum created by their full-length, along with the resultant and well-deserved critical acclaim.
The record features four new songs and two that are not so new; as well as marking their second release on Ipecac Recordings, who have been responsible for some wonderful records by the likes of Dälek, Melvins, Jean Claude Vannier, The Jesus Lizard, Mr Bungle and Venamoris, exceptional company it could be said.
i know computer is a track which Sayell, according to the PR, ‘likes a bit too much’ and I can understand why. The rumbling bass and funky drumming are akin to something Rollins Band might have put out in the 1990’s (Come In And Burn), in other words it has a very ‘muscular’ sound, yep, a solid opener. as a dad has a bluesy twang which one might associate with Bob Log III and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – see The Jesus Lizard’s Nub as another reference point – but there’s also an early B52’s feel which gives it a joyful campiness.
a creative outlet for mclusky to experiment outside of what could be considered their readily identifiable post-hardcore and noise-rock sound…
spock culture is more angular in tone, with hints of The Fall, especially with respect to Falkous sardonic Mark E Smith style delivery. This is the most overtly mclusky-sounding number on the record, particularly when compared to the two preceding tracks, and a wonderful reminder of why I love these lads so much. hi! we’re on strike has a robotic tone to the vocals, perhaps to reflect the facelessness and frustration of the workplace environment (something most people can relate to). The music is laden with tension to help further reflect this sentiment, sonically speaking, reminiscent of no-wavers such as Xaddax (featuring the great Nick Sakes of Dazzling Killmen, Sicbay, Upright Forms) and any number of Skin Graft records alumni, superb.
fan learning difficulties is quirky, featuring some pretty progressive Fugazi post-hardcore as well as more manic sections that wouldn’t be wholly out of place on any number of Mike Patton projects, particularly Faith No More and the track Cuckoo For Caca. Finally, that was my brain on elves is a mellow, muted folksy affair whose lyrical eccentricities not only remind me of the band’s own work, but also artists such as Robyn Hitchcock, Jonathan Richman and Syd Barrett. Sound-wise, it isn’t necessarily the kind of track that immediately brings to mind the Bristol trio due to its stripped-down and reserved nature, but nonetheless, it works a treat and proves the ideal conclusion to the EP.
Six tracks, fourteen minutes, bish, bash, bosh, job done. The record felt like a creative outlet for mclusky to experiment outside of what could be considered their readily identifiable post-hardcore and noise-rock sound. As much as I loved the world is still here and so are we, I wouldn’t have wanted a part two, and thankfully we’re instead offered something reassuringly different, predictably marvellous.
Label: Ipecac Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
