By: Kayleigh Drake

I’ve been a Mclusky fan ever since I first heard them on Sirius 26 Left of Center (R.I.P.) way back in high school. For years, their iconic 2002 album “Mclusky Do Dallas” has been one of my go-tos for when I’m craving some Loud Shit™. And in fact, I almost named my Substrate radio show “Collagen Rock” in honor of track three on that very album. (I ended up going with my longtime IG handle instead, Barfing Up Lungs — which, speaking of, you can tune in and listen every Thursday at 7 p.m.! Shameless plug!) 

Anyway, you can imagine how stoked I was to learn that Mclusky has just dropped a brand new album. Aptly titled “The World Is Still Here and So Are We,” this is the first record they’ve released in over 20 years. That’s right — a full two decades have elapsed between their 2005 disbandment and the release of this record. And honestly, listening to it, you’d hardly be able to tell. 

Released on Ipecac Records, this is a 13-tracker loaded with short-but-sweet bops that are undeniably “Mclusky.” Every song clocks in at under four minutes, with the majority clocking in at under three (and some under two). This album still features the angular guitars, crunchy basslines, frenetic yelps, aggressive snarls and witty, irreverent lyrics that are quintessential to Mclusky’s earlier material, but it incorporates some other influences into the mix to keep things feeling fresh.

We start out with a bang on the first track, “Unpopular Parts of a Pig,” which comes right out the gate with the same energy you’d find on track one of “Do Dallas.” This song was initially released as a single all the way back in 2023, backed with “The Digger You Deep” which appears several more songs deep (lol) into this record. Track two, “Cops and Coppers,” begins on a bit of a post-punk note, complete with a prominent, rhythmic bassline and jagged, treble-heavy guitar riffs that kind of remind me of Gang of Four. With the next two tracks, “Way of the Exploding Dickhead” and “The Battle of Los Angelsea,” things start to veer slightly into Jesus Lizard territory, and then we get to “People Person,” which is one of my favorite songs on the album. It was also released as a single back in March. (Does that make me a poser if I like the singles more than the other songs? Maybe. Do I care? Nope!) At almost three-and-a-half minutes, this is one of the “longer” tracks on the album, and it’s a slightly more downtempo bop that’s chock full of overdriven bass and talk-singing vocals drenched in Andy Falkous’s thick Welsh accent.

Tracks five through nine are rife with the aforementioned Mcluskyisms we know and love, and then track 10, “Not All Steeplejacks,” slows things down quite a bit and takes a turn into some Spiderland-era Slint vibes. Next up is “Chekhov’s Guns,” another one of my faves, and it’s a definite head-nodder with its singalong-worthy chorus of “Check, check, check, check, Chekhov’s guns” and a simple-yet-bumpin’ rhythm section that almost brings to mind “Epic” by Faith No More. Right after that, we have the barely-over-a-minute “Juan-Party System,” which picks up the pace with its fast, driving drums and abrasive vocals. And finally, we close things out with the much slower “Hate the Polis,” which gradually intensifies into a nice, loud finish with what sounds like a whole-ass backing choir singing during the refrains.

All in all, I really enjoyed this record, and I’d definitely say it was worth the wait. Fingers crossed it won’t be another two decades before we get the next one!