Photo by Felix Gama

Artist: ira glass, the four-piece of vocalist and guitarist Lise Ivanova, guitarist Sunny Betz, drummer Landon Kerouac, bassist Gavin Swope, and saxophonist Jill Roth

Location: Chicago, IL

Buzz: The audacity to name yourself after one of NPR’s most wholesomely beloved voices and slices of American life, but also, yes, that audacity indeed. As ira glass, the Chicago DIY rock scene outfit have been disrespecting of any and all boundaries in their crackling post-hardcore, feedback-driving post-punk, and feral noise amalgamation on their early demo releases. “nancy’s hell”, their recent debut single for Fire Talk Records’ Angel Tapes imprint, formally ignites it all while cleaning up some of the unkempt corners, but there’s only so much that can be tethered in an otherwise catalytic energy that carries on the Albini torch of ugly, unbridled noisemaking proudly (that it was recorded at Electric Audio fully realizes that fever dream fully.)

In the listen, Lise Ivanova can be heard losing herself while projecting obtuse tortures of its titular character onto her body. “Stop the tape / I cannot live in pieces / Cut the mic / I am so full of hatred for the weak,” she sings in a comedown during its final moments, on verge of collapse. Those words are all too ominous for a band’s proper introduction. Something tells you ira glass’ hate-making days are just about to blister with so much more messy impact and no regard to guardrails in our near future…

Sound: The exorcism of an experimental post-hardcore band captured on tape and rupturing through a blown-out speaker system.

Recommended: The recent “nancy’s hell” single, this year’s demo ii collection, and 2023’s demo collection

ira glass’ “nancy’s hell” single is available now on Angel Tapes.