Work Party

Aggressive music can often take itself far too seriously. The uniform of black t-shirts, the unnecessary walls of amplification, the smile-free promo shots; leaves one wondering if the band gets any enjoyment out of anything. For Chicago’s Work Party, their motivation is simple – to have more fun than any reputable doctor would recommend. Following the demise of War Brides in 2019, guitarist Grant Craig and brothers Tristan Widloe (vocals) and Justin Widloe (bass) still wanted to keep making music, first and foremost for their own amusement. However, they wanted to change up their approach to songwriting. “I got tired of hyper complex stuff” says Craig, commenting on his previous band’s output. “I feel like this record is kind of a reversion back to the music we grew up on; taking stuff from 80s hardcore, but approaching it with the sensibilities that we have now.” Work Party’s debut album My Best Days Are Behind Me, set for release on October 1st on Milwaukee’s Triple Eye Industries, is certainly a departure into more straightforward songwriting for the trio; who are joined by drummer Brandon Syph (formerly of the Chicago metal band Snow Burial) in Work Party. The album draws on classic 80s hardcore acts like Black Flag and Circle Jerks, filtering those sounds through the jagged post-punk of Wire and Gang of Four, along with the moodier sounds of Joy Division and Bauhaus. Straightforward, yes, but there’s also plenty of depth on this album.