At every junction of F!GHT N!GHT!, the 2018 offering by insect-enthusiast no-wave trio Bug Fight, the band embeds a deep sense of uncomfortable, mild dread; their wandering tempos, electric banjos, occasional gang vocals and abstruse lyricism make for a sordid listening, a mix of experimental bluegrass with dark noise rock that would make well the score for a stage adaption of any H.P. Lovecraft story. It’s these increasingly off-kilter elements that also make this EP the engaging effort that it is, one that’s a cerebral mix of narrative forays into the shared nature of men and cockroaches (“WORM”) and dynamic, drawling explosions (“The Lawnman”). Coupled with an engrossing mythos (the band’s members are identified as Old Bug, Papa Roach, and Star Bug) and esoteric liner notes and you’ve got an entrancing, beautifully strange final product. Imbibe it below, and catch Bug Fight at Planet X on Friday, February 28th. —Connor Beckett McInerney
