Chicago natives, The Orwells, are back and stronger than ever with their new record “Terrible Human Beings.” “Terrible Human Beings” marks their third official release and their second release on Canvasback Music, a label attached to The Atlantic records group. The band recorded the LP at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with producer Jim Abbiss, who is credited with producing several tracks on “Disgraceland” and has also worked with the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Adele. “Terrible Human Beings” marks a clear departure for the band from their previous releases “Remember When” and “Disgraceland,” displaying a new mature style of songwriting.

“It’s kind of funny how our songs and records have evolved, because when we first started together, we very much had no idea what we were doing,” guitarist Dominic Corso said on the band’s recent work. “We’ve grown into being able to write legitimately musical songs that we worked hard on and are proud of.”  

Guitarist Matt O’Keefe describes the band’s new sound as “mutilated pop songs.” Vocalist Mario Cuomo agrees stating, “We wanted to make songs that at their core are catchy and pretty, then slash them up.” The trademark chords and riffs that Orwells’ fans have grown to love are still present but have been distorted and spread out in a way like never before, giving the band a blistering new sound.

Cuomo has also progressed from his lyrical work on “Disgraceland,” moving away from the classic snotty teenage phrases he is known for. Drawing inspiration from thrillers such as It Follows and Last Exit To Brooklyn, Cuomo produced a more mature and narrative set of lyrics on “Terrible Human Beings.” Cuomo has stated that his bandmates encouraged him to work outside of his comfort zone in a way that reflects the band’s growing maturity as songwriters.

“Terrible Human Beings” hooked me from start to finish. The album flows in a way that keeps the listener’s attention with each track fading perfectly into the next. Some songs that stood out the most to me were “Black Francis,” “Heavy Head” and “Double Feature.”

“Black Francis” was the fourth and final single released before the band put out the full album. One thing that really draws the listener to this song is the vocals. “Terrible Human Beings” is the first Orwells’ album to really showcase backing vocals from O’Keefe and Corso. Together, O’Keefe and Corso chant snotty responses to Cuomo’s witty Lyrics, “Have you heard that band / yeah I think they’re shit / and the way they dress / yeah they think their hip / and the things they say / yeah it’s all a bluff / and where they’re from / yeah it ain’t that rough.” This verse builds into an explosion of a chorus with all three of them singing “Black Frankie’s got my world in his hands, Black Frankie’s got my world in his hands / Viva Loma Rica, Viva Loma Rica , Viva Loma Rica, Viva Loma Rica.” While “Black Francis” may not show as much musical growth as other songs on the album, it is a solid testament to their former work showing where the band has been and where they’re headed.

“Heavy Head” is a perfect example of the band writing “mutilated pop songs.” The band took what would appear to some as a simple chord progression and a two note riff, and turned it into a beautiful mess of distortion and grit. While some could argue the narrative sense of “Heavy Head” is similar to some of the Orwells past work such as “Norman” and “Hallway Homicide,” the music behind the lyrics has taken a huge step up to meet the menacing tone of the story. Cuomo’s lyrics tell the tale of a sinister decapitation in the dry desert, “dry mouthed in the hot white sand, duct-taped in a big white van / put a bag over their heads, cut a hole and their face turns red.” This verse leads into a dark and intriguing bridge of muted guitars and heavy drums with Cuomo singing in a dark Johnny Cash-esque voice. “I got this feeling when you’re not around, like a freight train runnin’ through town / and when they bark and it don’t make a sound, this whole generation don’t make a.”

“Double Feature” is the album’s closing track and the longest by far clocking in at seven minutes and nineteen seconds. The song describes a wasted youth and a twisted adult reality of a kid from “the wrong side of the tracks.” O’Keefe describes the song as “our own Hail Mary, a stack of drum loops and guitars and voices coming at you from all different directions. It all collapses in on itself towards the dead end.” Truer words could not be spoken. The track takes the listener through a tale of regret and reality. “Should’ve been a doctor or a lawyer / should’ve never listened to destroyer / could’ve been a madman or a teacher / could’ve been a bad man or a preacher.” Cuomo’s vocals then go on to describe what has happened to some of the character’s peers, “Bobby got locked up in the fall / Paul is a child of the law / Bobby took her under the bleachers / Paulie went and called a double feature.” Brothers Grant and Henry Brinner, on bass and drums respectively, hold down a solid rhythm section with O’Keefe and Corso layering loose riffs and tight progressions above it all. The song draws into a frantic kraut-rock freak-out bringing the band’s impressive release to a close.

“Terrible Human Beings” is an awesome album. It shows immense progress from the band’s past releases but still rings true to their old sound. I’m very excited to see where this album takes them and can’t wait for the next one. The Orwells will be at El Club in Detroit on May 18th with fellow Chicago band, the Walters. Check out “Terrible Human Beings” here.