The Cambridge dictionary defines the word label as: word or a phrase that is used to describe the characteristics or qualities of people, activities, or things, often in a way that is unfair. To label Atlanta based Microwave as any specific genre would be unfair. On their fourth full-length album Let’s Start Degeneracy, due April 26th on Pure Noise records, The Atlanta based trio takes elements from Midwest-Emo, New wave, Psychedelic Rock & Shoegaze, sticks them in a blender and creates a uniquely beautiful record that can only be described as controlled chaos. 

The album opens with Portals, which takes a traditional Christian hymn and pairs it with various ambient sounds and fuzzy guitar strumming. A somewhat eerie yet soothing foreshadowing of what to expect for the rest of the album, which is the unexpected. Ferrari builds softly with its heavy synths and slow, almost methodical drums, into a xylophone-esque hypnosis. Lyrics like “I’m not aiming for the bushes when I jump out this window/I refuse to act on fear/No thank you/I’ve been down that road” show how much the band is unwilling to play it safe on this record.

 Let’s Start Degeneracy then breaks wide open with Circling The Drain, a killer 90’s alt-pop anthem that answers the age old question of what a Sublime feature on Weezer’s Blue album would have sounded like. Released over two years ago, Circling The Drain is one of the strongest songs on the album, it’s nostalgic yet fresh at the same time. As experimental as this record is, underneath a lot of the cool new sonic adventures, these are still classic Microwave songs. 

Part of what makes Let’s Start Degeneracy such a cohesive album, is vocalist/guitarist and producer Nathan Hardy’s reflective and self-aware lyrics throughout.  “And I’m so bored of being sad/it’s not cool anymore/it’s old and I’m bored/shit’s really not so bad/I created this hell/I have no one to blame but myself” Hardy sings during the chorus of Bored of Being Sad. Talk about growth! 

There is so much depth and so many layers to this record, it’s one that deserves multiple listens to fully appreciate. In the streaming age, the attention to not only creating, but also properly sequencing an album, feels like a lost art. So many records nowadays feel like compilations, so it’s refreshing to have bands like Microwave create an album that flows perfectly throughout the 10 songs. Even interludes like Concertito in G Major, which is played over a woman singing in what sounds like the shower, doesn’t feel out of place here. This record never feels boring, if anything, I wish there were one or two more tracks. Like a great rollercoaster, the ride is over too soon. 

Let’s Start Degeneracy, both musically and lyrically, represents the band’s growth while being true to their roots. Sure to attract new fans with their blending of genres, Microwave’s core audience will find comfort in this latest release as well. Just a killer album that has been on repeat since the first listen.

Rating 9/10

Microwave- Let’s Start Degeneracy 

Release date: 4/26/24

Track list: 

1. Portals

2. Ferrari

3. Circling The Drain

4. Bored of Being Sad

5. Straw Hat

6. LSD

7. Omni

8. Strangers

9. Concertito

10. Huperzine

Reviewed by Jeremy Schmidt 

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