Jewelcase CD.

 

Shitty Person is the latest solo-ish project from Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy (Lesbian, Fungal Abyss). Along with other members of Lesbian, Rose Windows, and Master Musicians of Bukkake, Shitty Person makes music about self-hatred and counterproductive self-reflection. It sounds like drugs, has lots of swears, and will probably make you feel terrible.

Although a relatively new band, Shitty Person's roots run deep. "I've been playing drums for metal bands for almost two decades," explains Thomas-Kennedy, "but before that, I used to front a couple of less heavy bands as the primary songwriter and guitar player. During the time I was touring with Lesbian-the-band, a lot of songs started kicking around my head that I didn't know what to do with. As that project began to wind down, I had more time to start putting some of these ideas together. I bought a guitar and finalized a pile of songs. I decided to ask some of my favorite musicians if they would help me put a group together, and to my surprise, everyone I approached said they'd be into it. We played a live show to a sold-out crowd opening for Moon Duo in Seattle. It was the first time I had played guitar and sang in front of an audience in over 15 years. It went pretty well, so we made this album. I am extremely proud of it and honored that so much great talent jumped on board to pull it off."

Indeed, Judgement is brimming with great talent, an almost-volatile concoction of "desperate heroin rock," as Thomas-Kenney describes it, which "explores the raw pleasure in burning down everything you love. It's bleak and hateful. It has an apathetic '90s tone, perhaps because before this, I hadn't written a song since the '90s. I think that makes the nostalgia aspect of it relatively pure. We worked hard to ride the line between messy chaos and melodic and structural sense. We put a lot of care into making sure we didn't care too much. I wanted to make the best record I had ever made, but I also wanted it to sound like we were at the end of our rope, like we fucking hate ourselves and it feels good. I'd like to think we pulled that off."

And pull it off with not-caring-too-much style they do. Detailing further the primary influences on ShittyPerson, Thomas-Kennedy says, "I was really into Spacemen 3 and early Monster Magnet when I wrote this album. I was drawn to the desperation and self-hatred that those records express both musically and lyrically. I've always really loved drug music. I had also been studying Religious Trauma Syndrome and how leaving Fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity causes similar symptoms to PTSD. I come from a long line of preachers and have a lot of resentment about how Christianity destroys children by teaching them to hate themselves. Shitty Person is about identifying those lies and casting them out. Its also about taking one last ride with them. Hating yourself is a lot like the way Spacemen 3 sings about heroin - it feels amazing but will ultimately destroy you and any relationships you have with other people."

Black vinyl.

 

Shitty Person is the latest solo-ish project from Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy (Lesbian, Fungal Abyss). Along with other members of Lesbian, Rose Windows, and Master Musicians of Bukkake, Shitty Person makes music about self-hatred and counterproductive self-reflection. It sounds like drugs, has lots of swears, and will probably make you feel terrible.

Although a relatively new band, Shitty Person's roots run deep. "I've been playing drums for metal bands for almost two decades," explains Thomas-Kennedy, "but before that, I used to front a couple of less heavy bands as the primary songwriter and guitar player. During the time I was touring with Lesbian-the-band, a lot of songs started kicking around my head that I didn't know what to do with. As that project began to wind down, I had more time to start putting some of these ideas together. I bought a guitar and finalized a pile of songs. I decided to ask some of my favorite musicians if they would help me put a group together, and to my surprise, everyone I approached said they'd be into it. We played a live show to a sold-out crowd opening for Moon Duo in Seattle. It was the first time I had played guitar and sang in front of an audience in over 15 years. It went pretty well, so we made this album. I am extremely proud of it and honored that so much great talent jumped on board to pull it off."

Indeed, Judgement is brimming with great talent, an almost-volatile concoction of "desperate heroin rock," as Thomas-Kenney describes it, which "explores the raw pleasure in burning down everything you love. It's bleak and hateful. It has an apathetic '90s tone, perhaps because before this, I hadn't written a song since the '90s. I think that makes the nostalgia aspect of it relatively pure. We worked hard to ride the line between messy chaos and melodic and structural sense. We put a lot of care into making sure we didn't care too much. I wanted to make the best record I had ever made, but I also wanted it to sound like we were at the end of our rope, like we fucking hate ourselves and it feels good. I'd like to think we pulled that off."

And pull it off with not-caring-too-much style they do. Detailing further the primary influences on ShittyPerson, Thomas-Kennedy says, "I was really into Spacemen 3 and early Monster Magnet when I wrote this album. I was drawn to the desperation and self-hatred that those records express both musically and lyrically. I've always really loved drug music. I had also been studying Religious Trauma Syndrome and how leaving Fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity causes similar symptoms to PTSD. I come from a long line of preachers and have a lot of resentment about how Christianity destroys children by teaching them to hate themselves. Shitty Person is about identifying those lies and casting them out. Its also about taking one last ride with them. Hating yourself is a lot like the way Spacemen 3 sings about heroin - it feels amazing but will ultimately destroy you and any relationships you have with other people."