It just occurred to me that this volume of Ball of Wax starts off on a bit of a nihilistic bent. First we’re killing paradise with the Foghorns, then we have Xurs indulging in bad habits, and now we’re just straight-up doing dumb shit with Shitty Person. I promise, it gets better! (Or at least less bleak.) But for now, let’s just wallow in some big, heavy riffs and celebrate the doing of dumb shit. “Dumb Shit” start with a rambling, blissed-out rant that I think is about drugs (but I honestly don’t know what names people are using for drugs these days) and then the riff in question comes in, with the universal sentiment “It’s my birthday, I’ll do what I wanna, and I just wanna do dumb shit.” Queue more riffs, blasting drums and guitar and bass, a healthy dose of phase and delay, and you have a delightful soundtrack for dissolution and self-indulgence/self-hatred. The key is that all of these simple elements are brought to you by fantastically capable performers/composers who know exactly how to work a riff and a simple lyrical idea for all its worth – turning dumb shit into gold, as it were.
I really wish we were going to experience Shitty Person in all their live splendor at the Ball of Wax 52 release show next Friday, but alas, they have another upcoming event that took precedence: Their album release show on May 19th, which you should also be adding to your calendar.