Plague Vendor “By Night” 2019. Epitaph Records. Noisy, hard-rocking post-punk that is, as the band’s name and LP title suggest, super dark. By Night is the California-based band’s third full-length record. This is one of those albums I literally know nothing about- same with the band, it just appeared on my to-do stack, without context. That said, I had zero expectations throwing it on the platter and am pleased to find out that it’s pretty great. Relentless beats, some real ass-shakers, some malevolent psychedelic swirls: think Black Rebel Motorcycle Club meets the big-dick energy of Queens of the Stone Age and then add a dash of Black Angels’ smoke-tinged neo-psychedelia space rock. The opener “New Comedown” grabs you by the throat and pretty much never lets go. “Let Me Get High/Low” and “Night Sweats” are both high-energy stoner rock (an oxymoron but it works) and “Prism” is an all-out butt-shaking banger. “Pain in My Heart” is reminiscent of the chaotic noise-rock of Sonic Youth with extra alt-metal screaming and then the grungy “Snakeskin Boots” goes off the rails, combining rap, thrash and funk. The album closes with another buzzy, fuzzy ass-shaker, “In My Pocket.” It looks like Plague Vendor is on tour this spring with another band I don’t know (L.S. Dunes) and will be playing in Madison in April. Might have to check these guys out live.