NUCLEAR DUDES
Skeletal Blasphemy
THE GHOST IS CLEAR
Seattle’s extreme musical magpies feather their nest
Jon Weisnewski’s Nuclear Dudes project is now on its sixth album since 2022. Conceived as trying to find the sweet spot between Gary Numan and Carcass, Skeletal Blasphemy is clear evidence that the sonic palette has broadened since, with elements of stoner, math rock and more fitting into Nuclear Dudes’ synth-grind base. If that sounds like it would be a bit of a mess, then the biggest surprise is the fact that Jon, alongside Coady Willis of High On Fire and Melvins fame on drums, makes it not only coherent, but regularly catchy. The rolling synth of These Machines is a foot-tapping freak-out, and Victory Pants’ pummelling groove is deliciously seductive. Like The Armed at their weirdest and most experimental, Nuclear Dudes have found a way to Frankenstein pure noise, art rock and hyper pop. ■■■■■■■■■■