Michael Crafter have released more material in the last eight years than most bands have in a lifetime – and yet interestingly, none of those releases have ever amounted to a full length. So when the Mince Lords of Sydneytown announced the release of their debut album, Mince For The Recently Retired, it was to an emphatic, emphysemic wheeze from crusties nationwide.
Michael Crafter themselves explain the record’s themes best, saying the work explores “the everyday struggles of a wokked heshlord run outta pingers at a Blackwire show, smashing lo-fi grind tapes til 4am.” It’s this self-aware savagery that makes this band fuck-loads of fun on record, as well as in the flesh.
Mince For The Recently Retired is a double-edged sword, full of hilarious songs that take aim at counter-culture icons in a Frenzal Rhomb style piss-take, coupled with 18 minutes of unrelenting, blasting grind. Few are spared, including the band.
Any of those searching for deeper meaning or ground-breaking musicality will walk away empty-handed. Michael Crafter aren’t reinventing the wheel, and nor are they concerned with flavour-of-the-month political opinions. What you will find on the record though, is short, fast and abrasive bursts of grind with just enough breathing space stopping the thing from becoming a frenetic mess.
After all, there’s nothing better than a steady beat to crowd kill your friends to.
Mince For The Recently Retired is out now independently.
