Two major moves followed the release of Big Bill’s expansive 2024 LP Strawberry Seed: singer Eric Braden from Austin to Philly, and Donald Trump from Mar-a-Lago back into the White House. The former and his still-local bandmates, bassist Alan Lauer, drummer Jeffrey Olson, and guitarist Alex Riegelman, wrote and recorded that album’s follow-up in a mad dash before those relocations, and it shows. Out Nov. 21 on Pooneh Ghana’s new “feeder label” TODO Records, Sick Myth picks at contemporary American absurdity like a scab. Unsubtly titled singles “The Money Store” and “Cameras” rebuke capitalism and the surveillance state, while “Young Men of the World” addresses its audience head-on – “don’t be a bad guy, don’t be a cop” – like an impassioned big brother to last year’s wry “Emotions.” (Standalone July singles “If You Work for ICE” and “14 Ways to Quit ICE (Quit Your Job)” previewed the always-political band’s increasingly pronounced frustrations.) While Riegelman’s jagged guitars still slash and Lauer’s bass still bounces, a hint of resignation undercuts the art-punk group’s usual sonic spring – these songs seem, understandably, crafted from a place of overwhelm. Take unceasing cacophony “When I Die,” where Braden ponders such post-mortem stumpers as “Who will get my loyalty points?” while dissonant guitars leave no room for rumination. Indeed, the Sick Myth of American exceptionalism has surpassed black comedy. These days, living here is really just a horror.
This article appears in November 14 • 2025.
