Tera Melos had quite the run in the 2010s, spawning interesting jams like “Weird Circles” and “Sunburn,” but have been pretty off-the-radar the past two years. Thankfully, we’re getting more music from frontman Nick Reinhart in the form of Disheveled Cuss. Nick describes this project as “playing ‘normal’ songs, the least normal thing I’ve done.” Let’s dive in and see how this “normal” music sounds!
Disheveled Cuss opens with “Generic Song About You,” emanating vibes akin to The Pixies, The Obsessives, and other grungy undertones. With a meaty guitar tone and a smooth riff here-and-there, this makes for an accessible intro. “She Don’t Want” makes compelling use of a strange time signature, much like Tera Melos is used to bringing to the table, but isn’t too abrasive to push away any curious listeners. Guitar leads continue the intrigue for multiple listens.
Next up, “Wanna Be My Friend” includes a nice little bass run in the post-chorus, and the drum fills are quite impressive from start to finish. Single “Nu Complication” flexes Nick’s vocal chops as he goes in-depth on the topics of attraction, obsession, and broken-heartedness. The intrepid chorus in “She’s Odd” and peculiar guitar solo make it stand out from the other tracks.
The delicate sound of “Fawn” has an easy-going nature and strong usage of toms and guitar effects to add to the formula. A sad voicemail closes this piece out, truly out of left field. “Oh My God” echoes the words “give up” throughout its verses, with a somber shoegaze soundscape making this a standout track, even at five minutes long. Piano is sprinkled into the verse of “Don’t Paint the Sun,” an obtuse song mixed into the shuffle.
At a fast pace, “Shut Up” is a thinly-veiled, vitriolic call to toxicity in major key that packs the necessary lyrical punch to reverberate with listeners. The jammy bridge in “Sun Land” keeps the listener engaged as Disheveled Cuss draws to a close. The final piece is “Surf-101,” wrapping a bow on the LP with pleasant outro in another long song.
Disheveled Cuss is a welcome piece of art from the mind of Nick Reinhart. It’s a stray from his Tera Melos work – but not in a bad way. Taking cues from a lot of 90s inspirations, Disheveled Cuss have enough going on between guitar leads and engaging production to warrant a listen. Disheveled Cuss releases tomorrow, June 12th!
A press copy for Disheveled Cuss was provided for review.
