Content warning for mental illness.
If you’ve been following the Internet underground music scene, a band you’ve probably gotten shoved down your throat (for good reason) is the lauded and extreme experimental electronic and digital hardcore project Machine Girl.
The band started as a solo electronic act by producer Matthew Stephenson, but after 2015’s “Gemini,” the act became a duo with Sean Kelly on percussion and Stephenson including vocals for a more digital hardcore sound.
A year ago they released “MG Ultra,” noted by fans for painting the narrative of Stephenson’s emotional growth but left others desiring something more sonically. After the album, the duo added guitarist and occasional vocalist Lucy Caputi as the third member of the band, and on Oct. 24 “PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X” dropped.
Don’t be fooled by the title; this album is neither a deluxe edition nor an orthodox continuation of “MG Ultra” particularly in a sonic sense. The most this album has in common with the previous “MG Ultra” is the lyrical subject material and the samples of songs like “Psychic Attack” on songs such as the sludgy and uncharacteristically slow “We Don’t Give a Fuck.”
The result is an almost dirge that seems to be inspired by doom metal and bands like the noise rock Chat Pile and experimental rock Swans during the album “Filth.” A standout lyric for its depiction of negative mental health is, “I’ve got trenches in my brainstem.” The atmosphere is so oppressive, but if you don’t like that overwhelmingness you’re in luck because the rest of the album is way more energetic and, while not particularly positive, something fun and engaging to listen to for those bored by traditional musical formulas.
“Come On Baby, Scrape My Data,” the lead single for “PsychoWarrior,” is essentially a protest song against artificial intelligence and mass surveillance on the Internet with provocative lyrics like “Show me what I want from what I haven’t said,” “Another cash cow for you to bleed / Spill my guts all over your spreadsheets” and “Wanna know me, wanna own me? Wanna clone me? Fuck you, you can blow me.” The trap breakdown is surprisingly refreshing due to the Machine Girl flair applied to the oversaturated genre.
“Rabbit Season” combines Bugs Bunny and other old-school cartoons with a drug trip and Internet rabbit holes to create one of the most surreal songs ever. This song truly depicts the break from reality that psychosis gives you that drugs and chronic Internet use can give you with lyrics like, “Pull me out, I’m in too deep / How many layers even is this dream? / Rake stepping through reality / Night-nightmare fuel lives rent free.” The cartoon references, while uncanny, work to show hallucination-like feelings.
“Psychowar” is like a spiritual successor to “Schizodipshit” from “MG Ultra” with how both songs are like mental breakdowns and succumbing to psychosis. The result is an amazing depiction of what psychotic thought processes are like internally, with the frantic and cryptic word salad-like lyricism and extremely fluid instrumentation and production keeping you on your toes. Songs like these could help those with mental illnesses cope with their conditions and remember that they’re not alone.
“ID Crisis Angel” seems like extreme catharsis for both the audience and Stephenson for different reasons. The audience gets another fun and fast-paced song with an amazing guitar melody and Stephenson gets to establish boundaries with their fans as they continue to process what it’s like to be an Internet underground music celebrity.
“Phantom Doom” takes a heavy digital hardcore, but shoegaze-like approach to the sonic texture. The drums sound amazing here and the guitar glistens. The lyrics about living with trauma and guilt for the past leading to self-loathing and calling yourself a devil and a fool may resonate for so many people, helping them cope with their own pasts as they don’t feel as alone anymore.
“i-Void Destroyer,” a reference to both iPhones and Machine Girl’s album “U-Void Destroyer.” The lyrics feel a lot like a mix between the “MG Ultra” songs “Until I Die” with its optimism in the chorus and “Psychic Attack” with how the protagonist also succumbs to psychosis. Also like in “Psychic Attack,” the album ends with a rise sound effect that implies a continuation.
“MG Ultra” may be the more personal and consistent album, but “PsychoWarrior” takes way more sonic risks and reaps the benefits. Together, these works come together as their best so far.
Rating: 4.75/5