Good evening, and welcome to the freaking weekend.  Today, we have for you a pairing that is joined in my mind by a strong sense of nostalgia meeting modern sensibilities.  Drink from the cup of heresy.  This week’s offerings: Better Lovers’ Highly Irresponsible and Illuminated Brew Works’ Ecto-Slushy.

—

The Tunes: Better Lovers’ Highly Irresponsible

High school was truly a transformative time for me in my musical journey.  I was very blessed to meet a ton of diverse people who introduced me to eye-opening bands that shaped me as a person and a musician.  Two of those bands happened to be Every Time I Die and The Dillinger Escape Plan.  Their relatively recent respective disbandings (temporary as some of them may be) rightfully left a large empty space in my heart where mathcore elements meet rock-and-roll swagger.  Who better to fill this void, though, than a supergroup made of the exact people who filled this role for me decades ago?  If you aren’t familiar with Better Lovers, where have you been, first of all, and second of all, get ready.  It’s Jordan Buckley, Goose Holyoak and Stephen Micciche of Every Time I Die, Will Putney of Fit For an Autopsy and Greg Fucking Puciato on vocals.  Last year’s God Made Me An Animal EP put them, out of nowhere, on everyone’s radar, and for good reason.  Aggressive, chaotic, animalistic (if you will), the four short songs spoke volumes to the quality of this collaboration, and Highly Irresponsible takes that energy and sprints away with it.  The best thing that I can say about the release is that it sounds exactly like what it says on the tin: all the best of Puciato’s raspy howl backed by the furious rampage of the musicians in Every Time I Die.  Another wonderful thing I can say about this album is that it sounds like they had a blast recording it, which any of the members can attest to.  The stops have all been pulled out, and the frantic mania that makes the early releases of both these bands so memorable is back in full force.  The breakdowns are timeless, the melodies are angular and jarring, the production is incredibly tight (thanks to Putney), and it is so awesome to hear Puciato in full command of a microphone again.  Highly Irresponsible is more than an exercise in nostalgia and supergroup-ism; each of the members brings out the best in each other, and one listen cements this as indisputable fact.  This is a release that screams to be heard live, with Puciato literally swinging from the rafters and the band spraying sweat everywhere.  

—

The Booze: Illuminated Brew Works’ Ecto-Slushy

When I was a kid, Ecto Cooler was one of my favorite little treats.  I distinctly remember crushing three or four of those little juice boxes when no one was looking and riding that sugar high all the way past bedtime.  Now, as an adult in the Year of Our Lord 2024, one single Ecto Cooler pouch on Ebay costs hundreds of dollars.  And yet, the craving still remains.  Fortunately, Illuminated Brew Works comes through for me, like they always do.  Ecto-Slushy is another in their series of seltzers with unique and interesting flavors to them.  This time, it’s tangerine (which I guess is what Ecto Cooler always tasted like), specifically 2.5 lbs of tangerine puree per barrel, which imparts that classic juice box sweetness and tang that I have been missing for so long.  And, in case you didn’t notice, it is that beautiful neon green slime type color.  I don’t know whether it’s a psychological thing or not, but I feel like that helps this taste so satisfying and refreshing.  

---

Happy early Halloween, ya spooky babies.  Catch you on the flip.

— Ian