I have raved about Mandy, Indiana since the first time the band’s music assaulted my ears. Their debut full-length, i’ve seen a way, earned a place in the May 2023 installment of my old Indie Inspection column – though it should have been a standalone review. The Manchester quartet delivered a breathtaking and feverish blend of post-punk and industrial noise that made me an instant fan. Even so, when I heard that their follow-up would be come out in early 2026, I got nervous that the infamous sophomore slump might claim another victim.
I should not have worried. At all.
Released on the influential Sacred Bones record label, URGH takes everything I thought I knew about the band and its sonic influences, tosses them into a blender, and then redlines the entire mix. We’re talking about ear-rattling, chest-pounding, post-industrial noise rock of the highest order. Across ten snarling compositions, Mandy, Indiana creates utterly scathing music that attacks your sense and has you begging for more. Combining the best of ‘80s goth with Suicide, Nine Inch Nails, Kim Gordon, and black midi, the record bursts with remarkable musicianship and fantastic ideas.
Sure, the group is unafraid to push sonic limits and upend their own artistic sensibilities, but they also know how to write a good fuckin’ song. It begins with a clear vision that demands one banger after another. The music is pissed off and vicious, but never nihilistic. Instead, the pinpoint production is infused with furious energy and ripples with a kinetic urgency. At times, the project can feel post-genre, especially when strains of underground U.S. hip-hop and UK garage occasionally show up, but what it really shows is the outfit’s deep musical knowledge.
The album veritably growls with abandon.
The vocal aggression of Valentine Caulfield utterly intoxicates as she wails, keens, and caterwauls, primarily in French. Scott Fair provides thick slabs of icy guitar that alternates between heavy fuzz and harsh overdrive. The synthesizers of Simon Catling stomp and thrash with barely controlled rage, only to step off the gas just enough to share art-house samples with the right level of aural spacing. But when the cavernous hardcore drumming from Alex Macdougall enters the fray, all bets are off, as his thunderous pounding gives the music the necessary connective tissue.
On “Magazine,” we get clattering percussion, bone-deep bass, and the sensation that this train barreling down the tracks just might run you over. “Life Hex” begins with a sample of “Light as a feather, stiff as a board” from The Craft before utterly destroying your ear drums with powerful breakdowns worthy of your favorite sludge metal band. On “Sicko!,” the iconic billy woods provides the lead vocals for a captivating and syncopated electro-clash tune that rails against the evils of Big Pharma. The penultimate track, “Cursive,” has brash vocals dance on a skittering jungle rhythm as post-punk guitars and hard-house synths battle for supremacy.
URGH knocks my socks off.
In only 35 minutes, Mandy, Indiana has staked its claim as one of the boldest and most inventive voices in rock music today. Like many of its equally adventurous peers, the band creates from a place of genre ambivalence – the only rule is that it must sound good. Jam-packed with boundless experimentation and incredible volumes, this album sounds beyond great. It offers a transcendent listening experience perfect for top-notch headphones, outstanding speakers, and your favorite rock club. I cannot recommend this album highly enough.