Fuck the Facts - Unnamed EP

One reason why I love Fuck the Facts — aside from their soulful take on grindcore and their unfuckwithable live shows (I’ve seen them in three cities) — is how DIY they are. They book their own shows, design their own merch, and even model it when they sell it.

Now comes a super-DIY project: a 7″ that, except for parts of the recording process (drums, guest vocals, mixing, mastering), went through the band’s hands from start to end. It’s common now to record an album’s drums in a pro studio, while recording everything else with home/laptop studios — the latest Exodus, Soilwork, and Decrepit Birth albums were recorded this way — but it’s not common for bands to handle packaging and releasing as well.

Loss Upon Loss (excerpt)
Wake (excerpt)

Vocalist Mel Mongeon designed the artwork, guitarist Topon Das recorded most of the instruments in his home studio, and the rest of the band pitched in with hand-cutting, hand-numbering (see Mongeon above), folding, and assembling the final product. Even Mongeon’s cat got in on the action. (A stray cat hair might show up with your 7″.) You can view pictures of the process here.

I’ll be listening to the Unnamed EP for a while. Over the last few release, Fuck the Facts have dug some incredibly deep trenches in terms of emotion and abstraction. (French black metal comes to mind.) There’s an interlude here with clean guitars that slays me; it’s the saddest thing I’ve heard this year. Mongeon’s feminine yet balls-out harsh vocals add another layer of depth. The recording is strong but not overpolished, and the performances are crackling.

Fuck the Facts have a big year ahead. They’re touring Europe in March (see dates here). They’re playing Maryland Deathfest in May. They have DVD’s coming out for a live show of their last album Disgorge Mexico and a David Hall-directed feature-length film for that record. (It is a major mindfuck.) Finally, they should be recording a new album for Relapse.

This 7″ is a pressing of 500 (400 black, 100 clear). Ordering info is at the bottom of this page. Pre-orders get a free download code this Sunday the 21st. The EP will be available for download on the 28th. The band leaves for Europe shortly afterwards; get your orders in now so that they can mail them out by then.