Having re-emerged following the disbanding of underrated outfit Disappears, local trio FACS have been an integral part of Chicago’s punk scene for some time now. Now half a dozen albums in, FACS has thoroughly dispelled the “off-shoot” tag with their fully realized brand of rock music. With a bleak mood board and anti-commercial ethos guiding their aesthetic, FACS are back with Wish Defense on Trouble In Mind. There’s no better time to release an album like this than the dead of Chicago’s winter when curious rock fans might want to lean into their shivering misery with some sullen post-punk.
The band has seen a few lineup changes over the years, but the connective tissue is strong as the band’s sound and style have more or less stayed the course even as roles have shifted between members. Guitarist Brian Case remains the de facto frontman while departing bassist Alianna Kalaba was replaced with returning Disappears alumni Jonathan van Herik. Noah Leger’s drumming is one of the band’s strengths, and he’s fortunately back for another romp.
These guys don’t fit neatly into one specific genre, but that works in their favor as there’s a lot to like for fans of various strains of rock music. The post-rock angle that’s been with the group since the days of Disappears is now executed with a more aggressive tone, and the band’s output fits into some of the looser criteria for punk music. These songs definitely take you places, but the brutalist streak is too strong for FACS to truly sound psychedelic in the traditional sense. Still, there’s plenty of experimentation and strong musicianship on Wish Defense that make it a satisfying listen.
The album starts with an ominous introduction as the grumbling bass on the aptly named “Talking Haunted” leads into spindly guitar melodies and Case’s yelped vocals. The tempo doesn’t pick up until halfway through “Ordinary Voices” when Noah Leger’s drumming becomes more assertive and their melodies are made even more pointed by precise guitar playing and sneaky groovy basslines. The oft-overused term “angular” immediately comes to mind, especially on “Wish Defense” when repeating riffs underscore some of the more climactic moments on the album. “I’m not here!” Case chants as his rhythm section thunders away.
It’s impossible not to mention that this album was Steve Albini’s last project as a recording engineer as he passed away while mixing the record, and boy are his fingerprints all over this album. That’s hard to quantify, as Albini was nothing if not ‘anti-fingerprints’ in his approach. The Chicago music legend’s rejection of meddling and over-tinkering suits a group like FACS in that these veterans already have a fully realized concept and know how to execute it. The finishing touches were done by John Congleton, who did a masterful job of mixing the album the way Albini would have done it. The results are fantastic, adding some consolation to the enormous loss that Chicago music suffered at his passing. In many ways, working with a local band that fits Albini’s sonic wheelhouse might be a more fitting swansong than some of his more notable collaborators.
FACS sound as good on this record as they might ever, especially considering Albini’s calling card of getting the drum sound absolutely perfect really showcases the exceptional drumming of Noah Leger. The sounds are bone dry, with ample space between instruments that allow each musician's playing to shine. The members of FACS have always been phenomenal at creating an amplified racket with only three players, yet this album features sparser soundscapes when compared to earlier releases. The cacophonous arrangements of “A Room” and “Desire Path” are the exceptions, where FACS achieve a wall of sound without everything needing to be dripping in reverb.
The gnarly skronk of the bassline and hypnotic guitar on “Sometimes Only” truly feel like a quintessential Chicago noise rock à la Jesus Lizard, with the band slowly layering the sound to lull listeners into the nightmare FACS seem to have been warning listeners about for a few albums now. Whether it’s dystopia or the inner turmoil discussed on closer “You Future” where Case ponders how one can have a dissociative relationship with oneself, is up to the listener. It’s hard to infer any specific political messages from these songs. The album was written over the past year, and they’ve never seemed particularly overjoyed with the state of things across their decade-plus career. The band just seems to be more interested in the personal and abstract at the moment.
Putting out six LPs in under a decade is certainly not unimpressive, especially considering they’ve maintained a cohesive strain of arty noise rock that never slumps into diminishing returns. While each release offers a minor update on the band’s sound, FACS have turned into one of Chicago’s most dependable local groups. This collection of songs seems to arrive at the right place and time, which makes their upcoming show in April at Thalia Hall all the more enticing.