Daddy's Boy - Four Hombres Daddy's Boy

If you thought your mind was blown by Daddy’s Boy’s 2022 debut (the visceral, blood-letting assault of ‘Great News!’), time to reassemble those circuits and brace yourself for further shockwaves: as the phrase goes, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The oblique-angled scree of new album ‘Four Hombres’ is a magnificent racket - a furious roar of Rubik’s Cube riffage presented as an intense sonic pummelling, not to mention a reminder of their own self-description as ‘questionably a hardcore band’. By this stage no questions are necessary; the Chicago-based quartet push far beyond the (admittedly, often-thrilling) knuckle-dragging basics of the genre, but there’s really no other adjective that suits ‘em better.

As with their debut, ‘Four Hombres’ was recorded at Chicago institution Electrical Audio - although following the passing of the studio’s legendary engineer Steve Albini, this time the band opted to work with longtime friend Greg Norman. According to drummer Neal Markowski, the band were keen to ‘break any habits’ they’d developed, and sure enough there are no retreads of familiar ground - it’s a step forward, and a step up to boot. Here the noise is more intense; the guitars more frazzled; the rhythm section more hell-bent on getting under your skin and working its way into your cerebellum.

Speaking of the ol’ noggin, JJ Skolnik’s lyrics are on furious form, adroitly echoing the pressurised volatility of life in this horrifically weird era. “The overarching theme,” he explains, “is hope in the face of things getting demonstrably worse in the world,” and his lyrics seem more sardonic yet pointed than ever, lending even sharper teeth to the band’s feral, deadly bite. Whether drawn from direct experience or keen-eyed observation, the songs tumble forth with laser focus - ‘Free Speech Zone’ skewers the concept of paramilitary threats to civil liberty, while ‘Old Wounds’ explores the personal and social burdens of traumatic experience through righteous vexation. That aforementioned hope is palpable too, though, as the juddering crunch of ‘Bubbles’ finds Skolnik declaring: “Humanity will win, I believe it.” It’s a key moment.

For all their deployment of new ideas, Daddy’s Boy still ultimately sound like someone liquefied and mixed together the various sounds of classic Chicago post-punk, before launching the glowing, molten results out of a cannon (and yes, that’s a good thing). The title ‘Four Hombres’ is a ZZ Top nod that was chosen, Markowski adds, because “we’re four dudes who like making music together.” The chemistry of those four dudes has resulted in a tremendous, eighteen-minute thrill ride, easily up there with Gimic’s ‘New Traditions’ as one of the best and most inventive hardcore records of the year. Best prepare your mind ahead of time for further fuse damage. Buy this fucking record.