Exclusive video premiere of ‘Rat Brains’ by Trash Fiasco, taken from their latest album ‘Exist As Instructed.’

The debut of ‘Exist As Instructed,’ Trash Fiasco’s sophomore album, unveiled the vast range of sonic prowess possessed by the Chicago punk trio. From the funk-infused narrative of ‘Chimney Smoke’ to the blistering intensity of the album’s flagship track ‘Rat Brains,’ this 8-track LP showcases every facet of the band’s ascent in the punk rock scene.

Clocking in at just under ninety seconds, ‘Rat Brains’ serves as the album’s standout track, accentuating the band’s idiosyncratic style while delivering a visceral punch that defines their sound. While lacking a conventional narrative, the song remains a departure from the album’s overarching themes, yet manages to evoke a nuanced interplay between sanity and delusion.

‘Exist As Instructed’ weaves a tapestry of character-driven narratives, exploring themes of pain, frustration, failure, and anger stemming from the pressures of conforming to external expectations. Through the varied perspectives of its characters, the album presents a choice between authenticity and conformity, resonating with listeners through its raw punk energy and emotive soundscapes.

Trash Fiasco recorded ‘Exist As Instructed’ at Chicago’s renowned Million Yen Studios, collaborating with engineer Dave Lugo to capture their electrifying performances. You can order their latest album here.

“We tried desperately to capture some of our live energy in the record”

‘Exist as Instructed’ seems to delve deep into the human experience, exploring themes of pain, frustration, and the struggle for authenticity. Can you walk us through the inspiration behind the album’s concept and how it influenced your songwriting process?

Having started as a “pandemic band,” these themes have been at the center of our writing from the beginning. There’s a mistaken perception, though, that because we’re not living in isolation anymore, all of those challenging feelings and emotions just disappeared. For us, we continue to highlight them in an effort to legitimize their existence. ‘Exist as Instructed’ serves as a reminder that a lot of pain and identity struggle stem from being told who you are and simply adhering to it, rather than being willing to live as your true self.

‘Rat Brains’ stands out as a brief yet impactful track on the album. What was the creative process like for crafting such a succinct and powerful piece of music?

We try really hard to let each track dictate to us what it needs. On drums and bass specifically, we have some really heavy influences. When that started to come through on ‘Rat Brains,’ we decided to embrace it instead of running from it. After that, the track really wrote itself. Ultimately, we allowed it to be the hardcore-type song it is, but infused our Trash Fiasco weirdness, making it our own.

The album was recorded at Million Yen Studios in Chicago. How did the studio environment influence the recording process, and what did working with engineer Dave Lugo bring to the table in terms of capturing Trash Fiasco’s sound?

When we get into the studio, we tend to be really efficient and driven. Million Yen was great in that they picked up on that flow and kept on pace, but also sensed when we might need to step out, eat something greasy, and come back a bit later. Dave also introduced some really interesting approaches, like recording vocals in a 3 x 5 bathroom, which sound great on the record (in our opinion).

How do you think your sound has evolved since your debut album ‘Stay Miserable’?

We’re definitely more of a band, and not individuals playing instruments. Our overall sound is much more cohesive, and our style is now clearly defined. When you are younger/newer, there’s a natural tendency to shy away from anything too weird or unusual. That’s what gets you made fun of. But on this album especially, we stopped caring entirely about what other people think and leaned into the strange sounds and approaches we’re inclined towards.

Each track on ‘Exist as Instructed’ seems to tell a different character-driven story, exploring the tension between authenticity and conforming to external expectations. Can you share some insights into the characters and narratives that inspired these songs?

When writing lyrics, we take a common feeling or experience or emotion, blow them up to their biggest proportions, and then assign them a character. Then ultimately what you are hearing is the narrative perspective of that character. So you’re not encountering a passing feeling of lack of identity, you are witnessing a person in the midst of an identity crisis, or an individual overcome with frustration to the point of a breakdown. Punk is pain, and these characters are assigned the most extreme pain we can assign them, within the bounds of being realistic and relatable.

How do you translate the raw energy and emotion of your recordings into your live performances, and what can audiences expect from your upcoming shows?

This is a great question, but it actually works the other way around. We tried desperately to capture some of our live energy in the record. If people feel energy through the record, they’ll love our live shows. It’s the songs as they are written (mostly) but with an unfiltered Trash Fiasco weirdness. I mentioned earlier that we’re more comfortable leaning into strange sounds and approaches, that could not be more true about our live shows. It’s a sweaty spectacle.

‘Bastard From a Basket’ was one of the singles leading up to the album release, drawing comparisons to the Misfits and MC5. How do you navigate incorporating diverse influences into your music while maintaining the distinct Trash Fiasco sound?

The “Trash Fiasco sound” is something that just happens naturally. As long as we don’t get in its way, it’ll come through without issue. Incorporating a diversity of influences is a bit more intentional. And that’s a result of everyone contributing in the writing process. Because all three of us live and breathe music, we bring a very wide range of sounds from our backgrounds. Putting trust in each other and enabling those sounds to bleed through creates the most unique and interesting combinations. Some bands come to practice with a track neatly mapped out. We drop our expectations before working on it and allow each other to infuse their perspective. It’s nothing you can manufacture; you have to be open and willing to let it happen.

How has the local music scene influenced Trash Fiasco’s journey as a band, and what sets the Chicago scene apart from others?

Being a part of the Chicago punk scene really drives who we are as a band. We wouldn’t exist without it. Inspiration on sound is clearly a benefit, but it’s also amazing to see the work ethic and energy of all the other incredible people here. It pushes us to do more and be better. The Chicago scene is big enough to have a real diversity of art and sound, but also small enough to where you really get to know everyone in the scene. It’s a perfect blend.

Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?

The idea or hook for a song may start with any one of us, but once we bring it to the group, it becomes open and fluid. We’ll patch together bits and pieces of the track or fuse together two totally independent ideas into one song. From there, we’ll either try to inject some lyrics that are already written, or we’ll make something from scratch. At the end of it all, so long as we allow each of us to have an equal say in the direction and sound, it will turn out to be another great Trash Fiasco track.

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Levi Brook Smith

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