Microwave: Let’s Start Degeneracy (2024)

• Let’s Start Degeneracy is the fourth studio album from Indie/Alternative band Microwave.
• The band started out having four members and had a guitarist change for the bands previous two albums. The band is now a trio,this is their first album as one.
• The albums first two tracks keep things pretty tame and really meld you into a sort of comfort zone.
• Circling the Drain is a very well-constructed song that builds into an emphatic, mid-tempo slugger of a song. This track really shifts the albums energy in a great way.
• Bored of Being Sad has a punk driven instrumental and a vocal melody that moves along very smoothly. The sound and feel of this song make me think of something you would have heard from a similar style band in the early to mid 2000’s. They really nailed that aesthetic throughout this album.
• Straw Hat utilizes acoustic guitar very well while including the whole band as well. The addition of the fuzzy toned, electric guitar at key moments of the song adds a great layer that enhances the songs energy.
• The album’s title track, Let’s Start Degeneracy is another well-crafted track. The instrumental progression is such a beautiful enhancement of the songs tone and lyrical content. It’s a great “fuck you” type of song that uses a calm manner to actually enhance that bitterness very well.
• This album is one that really surprised me as a newcomer to this band. Each song on this album is good, if not great. There is a good range of style and the way those styles are intertwined throughout the listen is great!

1. Portals
2. Ferrari
3. Circling the Drain
4. Bored of Being Sad
5. Straw Hat
6. Let’s Start Degeneracy
7. Omni
8. Strangers
9. Concertito in H Major
10. Huperzine Dreams

Initial Score: 4.75 stars
1v1 Adjusted Score: TBD