SWEEPING PROMISES - Good Living Is Coming For You LP

Highly recommended.

The Boston duo of Caufield Schnug and Lira Mondal are back with another installment of shambolic synth-punk as only they can dish out. 2020’s debut “Hunger for a Way Out” was one of the finest albums of the year, rife with oddball guitar squiggles, mega-catchy choruses and loopy synth bonks. Lira’s vocals can shift from snotty and belligerent to cooey and seductive in the blink of an eye. Few bands can straddle the line between what sounds like minimalist grrrl punk and genuine pop song structures, but these two have shown to be even more proficient at this unique style for album #2.

“Can’t Hide It”, a cut that seems on the surface to protest big-box corporations, may be the weirdest of the bunch, between Mondal’s thousand-yard-stare vocals to Schnug’s random dissonant guitar. The lynchpin to the SP sound may be Lira’s impeccable basslines, perhaps the key that holds the whole thing together. If you (like us) were warped enough to enjoy stuff like Bratmobile or Fiery Furnaces, “Good Living is Coming for You” is coming for you.