02/21/26

Bugs Death March

I've listened to Today is the Day for over two years at this point. I still don't know if they've inspired me to do good or bad things with my life. Yet here they are still: the psychedelic version of noisecore. There are probably other bands that fulfill this concept, but I haven't heard of them. But I have heard of Today is the Day.

At its best, the brutality is on the level of Cop-era Swans. That's for the lyricism especially. Like a lot of nihilistic noise rock, Today is the Day often narrate the stripping away of formulated identity. The human condition is boiled down to binaries of erasing or being erased. That includes doing so onto oneself, which is often the point.

Anything pretty is untrustworthy here. Every melodic package chafes against profanity, pathetic self-effacement. "Kai Piranha" goes: "Kill the children / And burn their souls / Strip them naked / Shoot to kill / I'm not for sale / I'm just real." The provocation is half-sung, guitars spiraling like a screw-gun to the body, bloodshot eyes staring at us from electronic noises. This is the beginning of their self-titled LP, one of the most enjoyably un-fun records I've listened to. The vocals aren't especially high-budget in concept or application, though being this way, the realism feels enhanced. Its best defense is tonal relevance: "I have no place in the outside world," he says; "Everyone is against you," he says. Like first seeing a gash on your face, the feeling is essentially intimate.

It's like a bodily anger. It's a neurological expression, y'know, indifferent to creative, ideological, or other kinds of integrity. Could be wrong, but I don't think there's much moral content in the subtext of Today is the Day. These are likes the songs strangled from catatonic, unreciprocated frustration. Words come out like a spinal headache in a way not sexy, scarcely, and vainly poetic. It makes for good listening, though.

In the sphere of avant-garde/alternative/post-metal of the 1990s, Today is the Day is like the forgotten step-sibling, I find, not as acclaimed as Neurosis or Deadguy even if they were doing similar stuff at the same time. And with that in mind, they do in fact share similar innovations: tricky hardcore riffs, tribal aesthetics (minus Deadguy), and an existential guy shouting. Now that I think about it, that might make for a fun listening party: Today is the Day, Fixation on a Co-Worker, and Through Silver in Blood all in one sitting. Notice how all these records came out in ‘95 and ‘96.

Admittedly, though, it’d probably be something besides fun. I don’t really have words for what that is other than the thinking that you might've felt the same. I mean, there’s kind of a vibe we’re working with here on this website, and it’s not too dissimilar from whatever the hell Today is the Day is - among the mess of other terrible noise bands I push. And seeing as you’ve made it this deep here, you might just be similarly inclined. So even if it’s not fun, it's cool, we can be into that.

Lastly, consider adding Obscura by Gorguts to your listening party. Your mental punishment should be greatly enriched!