‘Someone’s knocking at your door, Knocking every thirty seconds, Arrows strapped across his back, Just another violent peasant’ (Violent Peasant)

We live in an age that valorises speed over all else and where patience is in terminally short supply in every facet of life.  Everything must happen now.  No, right now.  No Fun At All is living proof of the value of taking things rather slower.  The benefits of properly laying the groundwork, honing your craft, and putting in the hard yards on the road.  Philadelphia’s Mesh formed back in 2019 and released their first self-titled cassette two years later.  And now, they are ready to put their best foot forward on their debut album.  This is punk slow cooked for maximum flavour.

The quartet are rooted the traditions of 1980s’ UK post-punk, which they have then laced with a healthy dash of more contemporary indie punk, and perhaps a touch more rhythmic muscle than this blend might at first imply.  Yet, what stands out above all else is the sheer quality of the songcraft, which is riven through with both a tensile economy and a spry energy.  The rhythm section locks in with a limber bounce, while the guitars, both six- and twelve-string, weave a brightly interweaving web of melodies that are worked and reworked to the point where they simply cannot be shaken.

This melodic layering is adroitly partnered with the nasally drawled vocals and their harmonised backing as they wryly tussle with a lived reality of exploitative landlords, stultifying work, and rigged economics – feudalism resurrected.  Hold On To and Violent Peasant kick things off with a tight, vivid urgency, while the shimmering jangle of Atrophy and Sign inject a notably more pop inclined shimmy.  Before, the solemn, cello braided dual vocals of Weapon Of Peace and the agitated stomp of 5G ensure expectations continue to be subtly subverted to the very end.