Black vinyl packaged in a full color jacket with insert. 300 pressed. As we shift out of the Age of Pisces, chaos reigns. The false profits continue to squeeze water from the stone of life, and humanity continues to look for the light in a growing darkness. It is easy to feel powerless… to give up hope… but do not despair. As Jupiter enters Leo, we are on the verge of a new awakening. And with that, we have a new WHY BOTHER? Offering. Iowa punk druids WHY BOTHER? return from a brief cosmic silence with their most esoteric and ethereal work to date; Beyond Step One. Little is known about this collective of endless hitmakers. They operate in silence and darkness, and not by accident. What we do know is that they continue to issue sprawling musical works that skew from garage punk- to surf rock- to new wave and beyond. Their music is connective, frenetic, and eruptive with covert but powerful subliminal messages bubbling beneath the surface. Unlike many modern bands, WHY BOTHER? choose not to perform live. Instead, they offer Odyssian sonic works like reclusive painters uninterested in the novelty of attention or a cult of personalities. And so we listen closely, and we wait patiently for each new and expansive batch of songs; a singular and cohesive rock n roll vision. With Beyond Step One, WHY BOTHER? conjures eighteen pieces. Eight punk songs, which are par for the course for the group; oddball yet hyper-infectious tunes that utilize grotesque horror film tropes and off-kilter love songs as a trojan-horse for subversive satire and social critique. Interspersed between these punky hits are musical poems; spoken lyrical prose written by their currently incarcerated lyricists and former guitarist. Each spoken-word arrangement is shrouded within an individualized noisy, free jazz backing track. In total, Beyond Step One, is a step deeper into the void for this group of mystics. With this collection of songs and works, WHY BOTHER? expand their scope with a growing experimental capacity. And while there are dark days afoot, and many to come, remember to be stoic as we move into the future. WHY BOTHER? reminds us that with each revolution comes a budding renaissance. -Sims Hardin
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