Just in time for Halloween, three bands with unforgettable names — Meat Jelly, Superdestroyer, and Funeral Homes — have collaborated on a split that perfectly compliments their distinctive titles, Halloween 2: The Universe and You.
It’s worth mentioning that Lonely Ghost Records, the label releasing the split, isn’t your typical intellectual-property-hungry dictatorial label. Lonely Ghost is “artist owned and operated,” and was founded on the collectivist idea that community is key to success. The goal of the label is to produce a creative and financial support system for up-and-coming artists.
Did that pique your interest as it did mine? Now, let’s jump into this one-of-a-kind split.
The first band on the project, Meat Jelly, is a quirky trio from Madison, Wisconsin. They expertly blur the lines between bluesy rock and hardcore punk and their stylistic shifts highlight their versatility as artists and creatives. In March of 2018, the band released their debut EP, Nevermind the Sandra Bullocks, Here’s the Blindside — and the five songs told a story inherent to the witty midwesterners. Tales were told in the realm of torn cartilages and sexual encounters held within abandoned insane asylums.
The chaotic yet charming and thoughtful energy of Meat Jelly is evident within the first two songs off of Halloween 2. The explosive lyrical grit turns into a distinctive howl at the drop of a hat. They vacillate between shrieking and crooning, with evident post-hardcore influences. Each Meat Jelly song is different from the next, as they demand your attention and keep your interest. The songs are often chaotic and disorderly — a welcomed reprieve from the general music of today, where it feels like many artists are following the same formula.
Diving into the first song off of the split, “Ann St.”, we’re brought into a story of someone racing a car on their bike and almost winning, but the street is bumpy, and the cyclist crashes. I found this to be almost a bittersweet metaphor for life in general. Things could be going well and you think you’re going to come out victorious, but with just one bump in the road, you’re three steps back. The song begins with frenzied drum beats, soon playing in parallel to frenetic riffing, evidently giving “Ann St.” a sense of urgency. Strained screams echo the line, “out of control / out of our minds” and soon the melody fizzles out, cleverly signaling a tiredness and lack of energy from the cyclist.
“Dorchester Neck Pt. II” tells the tale of a failed relationship, with the protagonist wishing he could go back in time and do things differently. The song starts off with soothing and melodic strumming, creating a bluesy undertone, nicely juxtaposed with the chaotic energy of “Ann St.”. The protagonist sings of needing a time machine, “Because even though you know that I still love you / You can’t because of all the things I don’t do.” He knows he needs to be a better man for his partner, but it’s too late to right his wrongs. Therefore, he and his “evergreen heart” are forced to forget the love he was accustomed to.
Songs three and four off of the split come from the Columbus, Ohio enigma that is Superdestroyer, with backing vocals via Shiloh Destine of fellow Lonely Ghost band haxxer. I love Superdestroyer’s work, because nothing is out of bounds when it comes to creativity. There are elements of everything from punk, to emo, to hardcore in his discography, and his songs are most certainly fun, fast, and a little bit weird. There’s a raw excitement bubbling to the surface that fits well within his dark and brooding lyrics. The songs center around both the philosophical and conceptual aspects of life, with loneliness acting as a continuous and central theme.
There’s an authentic ethereal vibe in the beginning of song number three, “Eternal Return,” perfectly encapsulating the cosmic album art. The tone is melodic and other-wordly, and this is reaffirmed with the line, “Phantasm, fantastic / nothing’s real anymore” which is repeated throughout the song. That line is followed up with echoes of the emo Superdestroyer is best known for, “Nothing ever begins / nothing ever ends.”
Never one to skirt around the issue, Superdestroyer then dives head-first into a discussion on mental illness. Regarding the chemical imbalance in his mind, “It swells and tells me I should be dead.” Yet again, the listener is met with light and easy melodies intertwined with dark messaging. The song ends with lingering feelings of loneliness and isolation. Our protagonist screams, “Do you ever get sad? / Do you ever get sad?” in desperate need of reassurance. The final sign-off discusses the act of decomposing and rebuilding oneself one million times over — a simultaneously hopeful yet daunting image.
“Quantum Foam” leads in with a soothing folk buzz, which is different from Superdestroyer’s typical vocal strains. The song centers around checking up on a friend or loved one, but even the act of discussing feelings is a difficult feat for the receiving party. He tries to reassure his friend, “I know you said you can’t live this way / Are you OK? / Do you need anything? / You can talk to me.” The melodies soon become hollow, as if he is reaching out to no avail and met with a dead end, with the instrumentation slowly fizzling out.
Melbourne, Florida based Funeral Homes take the reins on the final two songs off the split, “Fine” and “Half Asleep.” Dissonant, chaotic drumming is the lead into “Fine,” which slowly fades into static. The protagonist gets right to the point, earnestly asking, “Do you still want me around?” cultivating an air of despair and hopelessness right off the bat. They speak of a love on its last legs, “I feel like I’m running out / of things to hold onto / and that includes you…” They even draw attention to their lyrics, stating that they feel uninspired, going so far as to doubt their abilities as an artist and creator.
“Fine” continues with the protagonist feeling anything but “fine,” doubting that the actions they’ve taken have done much to make their current situation better, like they’re stuck in a halfhearted cycle of repetition. They are wrestling with the expectations of others, as well as their own standards, “Still afloat but struggling / Don’t know what you want from me.” The introspective track concludes with a dive into their dysphoric feelings, and the dissatisfaction and anxiety they feel in regards to all aspects of life. “Half Asleep” is the perfect track for this split to end on. It begins by putting the listener in a dreamlike state, with cymbals clashing and the faintest mumbling sounds in the background.
Be sure to stream the incredible musical journey that is Halloween 2: The Universe and You when it’s released on Tuesday, October 29th via Lonely Ghost Records, and check out the eclectic discographies of Meat Jelly, Superdestroyer and Funeral Homes while you’re at it.
