WATCH: “Better Than Me” by Touched By Ghoul

The savage heart of Sonic Chicago is alive and well in the music of this cacophonous quartet

January 26, 2022 Ron Hart 1 Comment Better Than Me, Big Black, Chicago, Electrical Audio, Premiere, Steve Albini, Touched By Ghoul, Video

Touched By Ghoul 2022 (Image: Us/Them Group)

The chaotic whirlwind of anger, intelligence and energy that defined the Chicago punk/hardcore scene in the 80s is alive and well in the form of the city’s own Touched By Ghoul.

Fronted by their magnetic singer/guitarist Angela Mullenhour, this quartet–rounded out by second guitar player Andrea Bauer, bassist Alex Shumard and drummer Paige Sandlin–bolster an explosive sound that suggests The Breeders if they not only worked with him but fully emulated his Big Black energy as well.

In fact their latest LP, Cancel The World, was actually cut at Albini’s Electrical Audio in July 2019. But then, just as the band finished mixing the record in January 2020, the world really did get cancelled for an entire year on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing its release to December 3 of this past 2021.

Their most melodic work yet, Cancel The World is teeming with explosive cuts, including songs like “Lost At The Costco,” the massive title track and “Better Than Me,” the video of which Rock & Roll Globe is honored to premiere this afternoon.

“We made this whole video in our practice space, by ourselves in an attempt to capture the true essence of our homespun baller gutter glam aesthetic,” Mullenhour explains. “It’s a glimpse into our cozy, isolated band lair of the past couple years, really. Work with what you got even if it’s way too much fake money.”

Cancel The World is available on LP, download and streaming via Under Road Records.