Melvins – Hold It In

Ah, the ever-reliable Melvins, forever ploughing their enduring furrow. Still, even when your old tricks are among the greatest, doesn’t hurt to rope in some folks with a few new ‘uns: Hold It In duly sees the veteran sludgesters joined by Paul Leary and Jeff Pinkus of the Butthole Surfers, blowing tripped-out fairy dust across the familiar metallic crunch.

It’s there in the galvanised chug of Brass Cupcake – a newly acquired sense that things could unravel at any minute, emphasising the gleeful rage of Buzz’n’Dale’s long-honed riffage. Eyes On You goes one step further; a demented, jittering boogie that resembles a shellshocked ZZ Top being flung into oncoming traffic. Naturally, their muscular creepy-crawl remains intact, but You Can Make Me Wait sees them experimenting with vocoder-soaked space rock, as unearthly sounds zip past a disconcertingly catchy pop tune. Fuck the old dogs/new tricks narrative: this is exhilarating – Butthole Melvins forever! [Will Fitzpatrick]