More bands ought to draw inspiration from Liars. That’s my primary takeaway from “Pink Slips,” a track that clearly traces its lineage to Angus Andrew’s experimental post-punk project. It serves as the leading single from Perfect New Knife, the upcoming album from Chicago’s Mass Text.
Presented as a collective, Mass Text is led by Chris Sutter, who also crafts abrasive punk rock in the band Meat Wave—a sound I’d liken to Hot Snakes meeting PUP. Perfect New Knife was produced by Dehd’s Jason Balla, who released his debut solo record under the moniker Accessory this year. The track “Pink Slips” is droning and ominous, functioning as a remarkable gateway into the album, especially when Sutter derangedly quotes the Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You” in the second verse.
Sutter shared this statement:
“Pink Slips” is the starting point and impetus for Perfect New Knife. While it doesn’t really sound like any other song on the album, it gave us the freedom to produce whatever felt right for the record, depending on the song and energy we wanted to convey. We built on top of the home demo in the studio, so many of the original takes and much of the feeling of the song were retained. The feedback on the track is from two really old walkie-talkies that I recorded on my phone while on tour. The term ‘pink slips’ refers to a time when my gums wouldn’t stop bleeding, so all my teeth looked like little pink slips in my mouth.”
Listen below.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Nice Dream 2”
02 “I Look For Your Face”
03 “Pink Slips”
04 “Eight Candles”
05 “Sunglasses On Christmas”
06 “New Orleans”
07 “How An Atom Fell”
08 “$300”
09 “Weightlifting”
TOUR DATES:
11/18 – Chicago, IL @ Hideout w/ Brent Penny
02/12 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (album release)
02/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cloudland
02/14 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Perfect New Knife is out 1/29 on Solid Brass. Pre-order it here.
