Couch Flambeau “Bunny Hideout” 2021. It’s Only a Record Records. New music from an old punk band, Couch Flambeau has been rocking out, hilariously, since the early 80’s and Bunny Hideout is their latest release – their last, I believe, was back in ’98. My friend Blaine reviewed the record for Shepherd Express last year and I’m going to liberally quote him here because it’s a great article. Couch Flambeau decided to record a new album – over 20 years since the last one – because, as guitarist/singer Jay Tiller explained to Blaine, “We decided it was time for a record to be made that was pure rock. Drive your car with the windows down and blast-it ROCK MUSIC. New rock music you can blast in your car when the sun is finally out is in short supply.” Bassist Neil Socol added that the pandemic was also an influence: “I think it was a great way of staying productive and really focused on the project. Not much in the way of distractions with rehearsals or shows to worry about.”

More from Blaine: “True to form, the songs on Bunny Hideout retain the dark, absurdist humor in the lyrics and music that is as challenging as Frank Zappa and as catchy as the Beatles. If you are looking for traditional verse/chorus song structures, though, you might have to look elsewhere.” Bunny Hideout is all at once noise rock, melodic, proggy, metal, punk and absurd. My top tracks skew heavily local: though I’m no football fan, the track “The Pack is Back” could be a new, seasonal state anthem and “Funky Christmas” continues the loving ribbing that Couch Flambeau frequently lays on Cudahy (non-Milwaukee folks: Cudahy is a suburb of sorts to Milwaukee on Lake Michigan that is the home to the Patrick Cudahy meat processing company — the small city always smells vaguely of bacon) on “Funky Christmas” (best verse: “Santa’s on his way, tremendous trash is in his sleigh. If you’re from Cudahy, he’s skipping you today!”). Also fun and super-silly is “Grape Kool Aid” (I can feel Jay’s late 60’s/early 70’s childhood vividly) and the weird juxtaposition between heavy-thrash and woodland creatures on “Bunny Hideout” is brilliant.

Couch Flambeau are probably not well-known outside of Milwaukee (and even inside Milwaukee probably only by a certain demographic) but they had a pretty significant influence on punk and noise rock in the Midwest in the 80’s. On the eve of the pandemic shutdown in March 2020, we caught Shellac at Turner Hall here in Milwaukee. Steve Albini made a special shout-out to Couch Flambeau – Jay Tiller was in the audience – crediting the band for helping shape his sound. Bunny Hideout was recorded at Albini’s studio in Chicago; again from Blaine’s article: “An uncredited cameo by Electrical Audio owner Steve Albini’s cat Pip makes an appearance on the record.”