3 out of 5

Label: Skin Graft Records, Sweatband Records

Produced by: Cameron Acosta, Tommy Meehan

Known for a focus on “no-wave” acts, the Skin Graft label roster encompasses quite a range of (generally) noisy styles. But: Squid Pisser feels like an odd fit.

I mean, from afar you can see it: the costumes thr squid boys don vibe some of the imprint’s visual aesthetics, and there’s a general noise terror-ness and willingness to offend that recalls older school SG, which is why it makes sense to package this 7″ in what the label made its bones on: a comic book.

But, musically, even if we’ve seen a slowish creep of punkier splatter back onto the release schedule, Squid Pisser feels more at home on the co-releasing label, Sweatband Records, run by Locust guy Justin Pearson. The Locust is absolutely the main noise reference here, and, again, though not out of place, it – pardon me – feels kinda “plain” for Skin Graft? This stuff just doesn’t move the needle very much for grindcore / thrash, vibing off a stewed pot of references – the aforementioned; Racebannon manicness; early Daughters mathcore; Agoraphobic Nosebleed intensity – and so not exactly what I’d tag as no-wave, as all encompassing as that can be.

…Except… this stuff is very listenable. The production and mixing softens the guitar and drums to something very crisp, and the tracks often segue into a nigh-poppiness that, eh, reminds me of Mindless Self Indulgence? Sorry if that’s not cool enough? But that very mixing in of a less expected element does bump Squid Pisser left of center of the Sweatband scene.

A runthrough of the lyrics is interesting: very anti-commerciality, translated through gross imagery that is kind of tired, but it’s also not nonsense. And the comic garnered quite a roster, including Gregory Jacobsen, Mike Diana, Johnny Ryan, and more.

While I’m still on the fence as to Squid Pisser’s inclusion on Skin Graft, they’re a promising wrinkle in the grind scene, and I appreciate slicing off some songs from their label album to package in this classic format.