In Rotation: HotLips Messiah - Disco Miscarriage

Don't be daunted by the 46-song long tracklist of HotLips Messiah's new double album. Disco Miscarriage is more accessible than epic, more in your face than in your head, more pumped up than bogged down. These are mostly one and two minute songs led by jaunty keyboard riffs and shouty vocals. It maintains a very 80s punk feel, for fans of Devo and X. The band embraces the weirdness, the snottiness and the irreverence that was part of punk from the beginning. Songs shift from the goofy ("Junk Food," "Yuppie Fuck," "Primate") to the scientific ("Grown in a Test Tube," "Altered Genetics," "Radiation Blast") to the sociological ("American Clone," my favorite of the bunch).

The energy and execution is unwavering through the album's runtime. Lead singer Traci Trouble delivers a counterassault to the ripping keyboards. Disco Miscarriage is the Chicago band's second album. According to their website, it is a collection of both new and old songs - the band dates back to the 1990s. Even if some of these songs are from different eras of the band, it feels like a cohesive album. Disco Miscarriage is out on red and white swirled vinyl, which comes with a black light poster featuring artwork from Mac Blackout.

Catch HotLips Messiah live at Chop Shop on December 28 with Mama, the Mons, the Evictions, Stickfight and the Addisons. More info on that show here. Stream Disco Miscarriage on Spotify.