From some of the folks that brought us the FUCKTROTS comes some sicko-pop underground spanning burst of DIY attitude. The FUCKTROTS hit the nail on the head of some kind of off the beaten path punk during their run (I think they’re done for), and here again the hammer hits the mark in some new and peculiar ways. Much of the approach here is a lo-fi pop one, but not bearing any of the markings of the present day’s more popular take on such. Rather, they make me feel around in my brain for precedents and the closest that I can approximate is an early 90s sense of anything goes indie-whatever. Not bedroom pop, as this has a lot of attitude to share, but more the type of 4 track band experiments that were winding up on major labels in that screwed up time. Knowing that there is a love of K RECORDS and their various shapes and approaches in this camp makes sense, but again I can’t really point to anything explicitly, nor would I really (it’s just not my way). Anyway, I like this recent record by BUSHMASK. It’s called SOME DEMONIC KITCHEN, and it is pretty weird. “Dive, Sabrina!” is all rhythm section fuzz attack, layered with acoustic strum and other passing textural sounds all adding up to some kind of sludge punk-pop, the likes of which I have not heard in a while. “We Growers Tend To Our Homes” offers up related fare, working with a most likely precisely worked out, and nasty sound that I’m really into. This is scuzz pop, but the scuzz and pop quotients are balanced, and the results demand repeated listens. Boston underground pop you know.