5 out of 5

Label: self-released

Produced by: Shane Hochstetler

This is loud. …Which has always been part of IfIHadAHiFi’s brand, from their beginnings as sort of an experimental noise band, to a noise rock band, to a kind of noise pop band briefly… and you can see that “noise” is a constant companion in those subgenres. The other companion there has been a sense of humor. HiFi is by no means a joke band, and lyrics have carried weight, but songs are also delivered with a good dose of snark; a sneering punk ‘tude is never too far away from the output of their first couple decades.

A pause and a return brought a seemingly more wizened outlook; the ‘shitkickers’ – as I’d deemed them in that review – had become comfortable in their own skin, but the sneer now had some notes of frustration, of slight wistfulness for their younger, shitkickier days. That album was in 2019; prior to the pause, releases in some form came every couple years, but besides some live (digitally released) recordings, HiFi kinda sorta went quiet again, and I was bummed to consider if they would be another band who dusted themselves off for a return, then went back to their non-band daily lives. And no judgement on that, though of course, as a fan, I was curious where this wizened sensibility could take their sound.

A few years later, I get my answer: it’s taken them to being especially loud, and also pretty damn angry. Again, none of this is off brand, but the compact lil’ package of Paws in the Bacon Grease really is the adult reflection of the loud rapscallions on No More Music: cynicism that once presented as snarky observations now has an extra layer of weariness and doom with fingers pointed at everyone, including the band itself. It’s HiFi looking at the bigger picture, and instead of being somewhat bummed by it – see the previous album – its pissed them off. Bind this to the group’s penchant for a poppy kick that backs even their loudest rockers, and ‘Paws’ music becomes some of the loudest stuff they’ve done, bringing back some of the pure noise vibe of their beginnings. And yet, where this becomes something more than just angry dudes yelling is evident on closer Welcome to the Pale Blue Dot, which is equally one of the most melodic things they’ve done… if also still really, really loud!

Granted, this can tire at full length, so the EP is the perfect dose. We get some samples, some pop, some terror, some punk, and all delivered at an 11.