On The Intricate Inner Workings Of The System

The way you’re saying it, ‘prolific’ isn’t the right word for The Bug Club. You’ve got to say it with the trademark Welsh lilt, and pay due homage to this inimitable band’s origins in the renowned hit factory of Caldicot, South Wales. Do that, and you’re about right with how to summarise a group who’ve released ten singles, two albums, two EPs, three things nobody knew how to describe, and an album under a different band’s name, all since 2021 and while playing 200+ gigs a year.

Third LP On The Intricate Inner Workings Of The System, due 2024 via Sub Pop, sees the band serve up a beefy slab of their speciality Modern-Lovers-meets-Nuggets garage rock. There’s B-52’s call-and-response fun mixed with AC/DC power chord grunt. Leaning towards fast-paced punk, opening double salvo ‘War Movies’ and ‘Quality Pints’ sets out the stall: duel vocal piss taking, surreal takes on everyday topics that go full circle and become profound, riffs all day long and then all the next day too. ‘Quality Pints’ deals with the pressing concerns of any conscientious touring outfit, taking to heart the rule of the three R’s as penned by renowned fellow pints fan Mark E Smith of The Fall. Repetition, repetition, repetition. If it’s that important, which it is, it’s worth saying again. ‘War Movies’ dresses distorted chugging with a comprehensive ‘best of’ list for the genre, with Sam Willmett offering a solo casually chucked out in a way that will make your dad promptly give up any resurgent guitar playing ambitions.

Melody is still ever-present, with the hilariously meta ‘Pop Single’ channelling Ray Davies at his most self aware. You ask for a pop single, that’s what you get – The Bug Club don’t mess about. And it’s this confidently silly strain that gives us ‘Lonsdale Slipons’, which finally sees the UK’s worst ever shoes paid tribute to in song form, and ‘We Don’t Care About That’, which tells us all to stop talking about lots of things. Considering attempting a tentative review of what you’re listening to? Well stop. ‘Better Than Good’ has you covered there, too. You’re getting what you’re given, and thankfully everybody seems happy with that – especially this track’s lo-fi production, Violent Femmes bass and Sterling Morrison solo. Best to leave the hot takes to The Bug Club, we reckon. This record backs us up.