Band:	Couch Slut
Album:	Take A Chance On Rock 'n' Roll
Style:	Noise rock, Sludge metal
Release date:	May 2020

01. The Mouthwash Years
02. Carousel Of Progress
03. All The Way Down
04. The Stupid Man
05. In A Pig's Eye
06. Topless And Bottomless
07. I'm 14
08. -
09. Someplace Cheap

To be honest, sludgy noise rock isn't exactly my idea of rock 'n' roll. But I'll take a chance.

If this were a sludge album, then it's one where the doom component is just about non existent and the hardcore one is turned up to 11. But this isn't really a sludge album as much as a noise rock album with just enough metal in it to make it sound sludge. Most of all, it's a Couch Slut album. Which means that metal's fascination with B-horror is somewhat swapped with a tales of abuse from or inspired by the real world, but that feel very similar to horror. But it's a horror that a lot of people have to go through in their lives. This is the album to make you feel uncomfortable, gas-lighted and attacked. You are nothing. You are worthless. It was your fault. You should be ashamed, slut.

Which might explain the slur in the band's name. Something that would've been fairly insensitive if used by someone who would only use it for shock value. Shock value it has, since I am indeed shocked, but it has a point. We're in very uncertain and tumultuous times, and even if domestic abuse and sexism aren't really the topics that are hot right now, and I don't wanna dive into whataboutisms, it's undeniable that this is swept under the rug too. And if you were a victim of it, I bet nothing would feel as cathartic and liberating than screaming about it on such a noisy record. And I listen to a lot of metal and hardcore, and thus plenty of screaming, but my God, there's really little out there that feels as anxiety-inducing and full of pent up anger and frustration than Megan O's vocals. Probably no relation to Wendy O.

Now I wasn't sure what to make of the title. My Life As A Woman, featuring a cover art depicting a blowjob of all things, was pretty in-your-face about what it was about. Contempt, with two white women smiling as a lynching took place in the background, wasn't as direct, but you can still kinda tell. This one's cover art I assume is a victim's revenge, but what the hell does Take A Chance On Rock 'N' Roll mean? Other than from a riff-like perspective I could kinda say that this is Couch Slut's most "fun" record. As much as an album with lyrical themes such as this can be fun. Speaking of lyrical themes, you don't need me to tell you what "I'm 14" is probably about. But you need me to tell you about its horn section, courtesy of the return of guitarist/trombonist Amy Mills, who you might remember from the latest Imperial Triumphant record (not the upcoming one).

Aside from the vocals, whose anguish I already described, and also including some additional vocals by Uniform's Mike Berdan; the bass is probably the most prominent instrument at play here, enveloping the entire album is a cloak of dread and a suffocating heaviness. The sometimes slightly rock 'n' roll-ish riffs and drumming are adding an extra dimension to that dread, whether punky or droning. There is a shitload of energy in this thing, but also a lot of it is supported by some pretty good songwriting to keep it interesting beyond just being shocking noisy energetic music about a subject that is sadly still quite taboo. But all the good songwriting and punchy production and energetic instrumental wouldn't make it half as interesting if it wasn't one of the most emotionally charged album you'll probably hear all year.

And like I said, the least we can do in times like these, is to be more kind and understanding to the struggles of other people.