by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
The past couple of years have seen a steady flow of releases from the brilliant Workers Comp, a band that splits the differences between lo-fi punk, Americana, and folk in it’s rawest distillation. The decidedly “for the people” trio of Ryan McKeever (Staffers), Luke Reddick (Divorce Horse), and Joshua Gillis (Deadbeat Beat) have been cranking out dusty country tunes that feel built for cassette, a destiny cemented in clamoring minimalism and plenty of psychedelic twang. The band’s upcoming self-titled album, due out May 31st via ever/never records (Patois Counselors, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band, Witness K) collects all of their EPs and singles, compiled together with a new song, highlighting both the humanity and labor driven dissatisfaction that lies at the heart of their music.
“Pressure Today,” originally released in 2022 on the band’s When In Room EP (and then released again on a 7” in 2023), returns on the self-titled release (as does the music video), one of the record’s many highlights. From the delightful lack of finesse in the production (a key element that really brings Workers Comp’s sound to life) to the quick sunburst of a guitar solo to close out and the general attitude in Gillis’ delivery, it’s a perfect encapsulation of the band’s beaten down by the workforce sensibilities with an ever present smirk lying beneath the surface. On a song that explores a lack of compassion from the bosses toward the workers, Gillis sings “Mister Realistic been telling the bees, bleak is the physique of any future we tease. Ask the eyes of thy beholder, how much heaven can a man shoulder”.
When labor laws ain’t cutting it, we need Workers Comp.