Photo by Ebru Yildiz

A definite vibe shift has been in the air all damn year for the not-so-great, but that only makes the return of Guerilla Toss all the more needed. You can always count on the longstanding experimental art-punk to jolt some energy back into even the most defeated, soul-sucked body, and with their new standalone single, “Psychosis Is Just a Number”, they’re turning the existential of it all into an electric party. There happens to be one very special guest on the invite list, too: it’s the NYC-by-way-of-Boston band’s first foray in the studio with indie rock dad Stephen Malkmus. On the surface, this makes for an interesting team-up considering Guerilla Toss’ music is all-kinetic and wonderfully misshapen whereas Malkmus’ work in Pavement and the Jicks is done on his own casual time. Part of the former isn’t lost by a longshot, but Guerilla Toss’ countdown to going crazy pops out in bolt print in an extra skronky post-punk ‘n brass crash-out. It’s kind of like the inverse of “count to ten and read until the lights begin to bleed” where instead, the number blows up right in front of you.

Guerilla Toss’ “Psychosis Is Just a Number” single is available now on Sub Pop.