Iconoclastic Manchester outfit Mandy, Indiana are back. Their new record, URGH, is centered around the voals of Valentine Caulfield, this time singing mostly in French. And it remains one of this week's most challenging, and most rewarding offerings.
Opener "Sevastopol" immediately reminds us how this band consistently surprises. Over a grinding hook, Valentine Caulfield wails, her voice distorted as well. The cut is nearly industrial, but smartly done. The far more accessible "Try Saying" is less agitated. A free jazz romp, it's a gem on this record. "Magazine" conjures unease atop techno chaos. It's a riotous cut, and wildly energetic. "Dodecahedron " is rhythmic and intense, and another solid example of the strengths of this group in 2026.
Mandy, Indiana continue to both please and perplex listeners. URGH is filled with music that skirts the edges of post-punk and industrial, but which remains solidly in its own genre. The group remains intent on crafting a a sound which batters a listener. The beats, and hooks throughout URGH almost make this into material that's almost comparable to that of early Portishead or Nine Inch Nails where those genre elements were subsumed into something fresh and new. That sonics here, and a few tracks which tackle weighty subjects -- rape culture in "I'll Ask Her", and the war in Gaza in "Is Halt So" -- are what overwhelms a listener. The combination of the elements described, both lyrical and sonic, is what makes URGH the best Mandy, Indiana effort to date.
URGH by Mandy, Indiana is out today via Sacred Bones.
[Photo: Charles Gall]