Review: Lesser Creatures – “Issue One”

Outloud! Records, 19 March 2021

Lesser Creatures follows a great split with a fantastic full length.

So last summer I was checking out a new split because a personal favorite, Grim Deeds, had a bunch of songs on it.  The first half of the split had stuff by a completely unfamiliar name to me, Lesser Creatures.  The first couple of times I checked it out, I was solely listening to the Deeds side of things (and I really liked what I was hearing).  Then, I gave the Lesser Creatures half a play through and was quickly enamored.  Songs like “Hey You”, “Peep”, and “Fake” instantly clutched my brain and haven’t let go since.  Then came word that a Lesser Creatures full length was on its way and I got way too excited.  Thankfully, the wait wasn’t overbearing and Issue One is a bunch of what I was hoping for.

Lesser Creatures is the creation of Nick Spoon and he’s helped out by The Radio Buzzkills Zac Buzzkill.  On the previous split, one of the things I liked so much was the combo of angst and vitriol with some great melodies and hooks.  Issue One hits that mark over and over again.  The buzzing barnstormer “Born to Sin” sounds great and sort of mean with its ominous preacher samples while “Apathy Street” thrashes and kicks with calloused singalongs that kind of remind me of something from the aforementioned Radio Buzzkills.  “Negative Nick” and “Smartest People” double down on the angst with even greater pop results courtesy of Screeching Weasel-style guitar leads and rad backing vocals.  “Smartest People” also leads with one of my favorite lines on the album, “there’s never been a better time to have anxiety”.  And then there’s the pipe dream-anthem “Toss And Turn”, which is anchored by a wonderfully punchy melodic bass and a repetitive singalong chorus that makes me wanna join up.  

And Issue One has lots more great songs, too.  The lovely love song “Stephanie Jean” has an enchanting melody and a cool inventive guitar riff.  Another, “The Office Drinking Game”, again messes with a melodic bassline and a guitar lead that sounds ripped from Anthem For A New Tomorrow.  Tributes like “S V Meppen” (I’m guessing referencing a third-tier German soccer club) and “Jim Lahey” (likely referencing the Sunnyvale Trailer Park supervisor from “Trailer Park Boys”) drip with catchy goodness.  “S V Meppen” has lots of melody and hooks that won’t leave my skull.  Plus, Nick’s vocals remind me more of B.A. from Sloppy Seconds and that can’t be bad.  “Jim Lahey” has a big hook on the verse and the guitars sound outta sight on this one, like superbuzzinglocustchainsaws or something.  Plus, the riffs are aces.  And maybe my favorite on the whole shebang is “Nowhere With Me”.  This song has wonderful vocal interplay and the female backing vocals (maybe provided by Jenn Buzzkill; I saw a post saying she was helping on some song[s]) set the whole thing off.  The chorus is repetitive and addictive in all the right ways.  “Hey baby, do you wanna go nowhere with me?”  As long as I can keep listening to this song, then yea, that’s cool.  

Issue One is a pretty freaking great record.  The music hits with all the energy and melody I could hope for.  It’s all a bunch of fun and the songs hold up.  Where’s Lesser Creatures been all my life?

Favorite song: “Nowhere With Me”

Favorite moment: I dunno, maybe the first time I hear the guitars on “Jim Lahey”

Favorite whatever else: did you see that album cover? shit’s cool.