There is no doubting The Meffs road worthiness after a few years of hard gigging. It almost got to the point that any punk tour would include The Meffs as support (NoFX, Stiff Little Fingers and The Sex Pistols just to name a few).
The Broken Britain EPs raised expectations of what the debut album could be, and What A Life not only met that high bar but surpassed it. That is why I feared that Lily and Lewis might suffer from second album syndrome. Do you repeat the ingredients of a successful first album or do you go in a different direction? For The Meffs, the answer to this question is to take the best of both of worlds.
Many bands would start their second album with something of a gentle introduction. Instead, Dreamin' has Cramps-esque tribal drums that break into the most hardcore song they have released to date with the whole thing done within 60 seconds. It is a statement of intent that runs through the 11 tracks. What A Nightmare returns to the groove-laden force of Clowns without ever feeling like a clone of the standout track from their debut.
Where Did It All Go Wrong also nods it head at earlier tracks such as Life’s Life with its place somewhere between classic '77 punk rock and American hardcore, simultaneously being both and neither. It is a space that The Meffs have uniquely made their own.
Title track, Business, sees The Meffs delve into a new level of groove that is made for festival audiences bouncing in unison. Full of Lily’s typical acerbic wit and taking down the music industry akin to NoFX’s Dinosaur’s Will Die and MC Lars’ Download This Song.
The groove is maintained in Law which hits various targets, including Tommy Ten Names Robinson, government warmongering and JK Rowling’s anti-trans followers, squarely in the face. Fight returns to the hardcore of Dreamin’, with 32 seconds of howling about a broken system which makes each day survived feel like a feat of endurance. Almost bordering on Converge, it shows there is no end to their levels of pummelling.It’s the latter half of the album where The Meffs really stretch themselves and give a clue to their future direction.Disorder (Wake Up), may start in a similar groove-laden way to other tracks but it soon morphs into a discordant rage. Verging on metal in places, it also finds space for melodic verses that juxtapose and make the heavier parts sound even more extreme.
Love To Lose almost comes as a blessed relief with its buzzsaw guitars reminiscent of 90s skatepunk. It also allows Lily’s vocal range to shine. The relief doesn’t last long however, as Lily goes on the attack against the vacuous impact of social media on So Modern (Keep Up).Considering the volume of contacts that The Meffs have collated since their inception, it is perhaps surprising that Geman punk legends, The Donots, are the only guests on the album. However, they play their role to perfection as God Complex rises to a crescendo. Eschewing the obvious route of NYHC gang vocals, instead it builds and builds until a final release. Going in more directions than should be possible in under 150 seconds, it is arguably the most expansive The Meffs have ever sounded.
Closer, Like Gravity, is probably the most personal and vulnerable Meffs track ever committed to vinyl. The lyrical anxiety is perfectly matched by the tension between Lily’s guitar work and Lewis’ pummelling drums. Twisting and turning between despair and rage it acts as the perfect way to distil what makes The Meffs one of the most bands on the UK scene today.
