Suffering Jukebox

This week's episode features an interview with San Francisco based, experimental guitarist Bill Orcutt. Known for his extensive solo career and early history with the noise-rock outfit Harry Pussy, the end of 2025 was a busy period for Orcutt. November saw the release of Another Perfect Day, his latest solo record, through Palilalia Records and his collaboration with Steve Shelley and Ethan Miller, Orcutt/Shelley/Miller released their Silver Current Records in September, was Orcutt/Shelley/Miller self-titled, debut album via Silver Current Records in September. Find out more about Bill Orcutt (and purchase his music) here; https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/ and Orcutt/Shelley/Miller here; https://orcuttshelleymiller.bandcamp.com/album/orcutt-shelley-miller

Nick's Pick of the Week is SPILLINGS' SPILLINGS, which was released on Friday November 28th. You can hear it in all the usual places, or purchase it here; https://spillings.bandcamp.com/album/spillings and my review can be read below.

SPILLINGS: SPILLINGS (The Garrote)

Released 1st January 2026

SPILLINGS’ self-titled, debut record dropped —as somewhat of a surprise— on New Year’s Day 2026. Despite previewing an initial single, Precaution, in November last year, the group kept the exact release date of their album a closely guarded secret. Comprising Liam Andrews (My Disco/Eros/Aicher) and Mat Ball (Big|Brave), SPILLINGS is a glacial slab of experimental, industrial noise that is both esoteric and exploratory, a sum of its parts that never stops yearning for new sonic extremities.

Those who have followed the trajectory of Andrews’ and Ball’s collective discographies will be more than aware of each individual’s gradual drift toward extreme musical minimalism. The biting, angular post-punk of My Disco’s debut album Cancer is a world away from the sparse electronics of their last release (to date), Alter Schwede. Whilst, over time, Big|Brave have shifted from the cacophonous grandeur of Feral Verdure and Au De La to the mysterious, restrained ambience of OST.

Andrews and Ball met when My Disco invited Big|Brave to accompany them on a European tour, then, later, Big|Brave would invite Andrews to support them (as Aicher) as well as co-opt him to play bass. Since then, the Nature Morte tour of 2023, Andrews has consistently contributed bass to Big|Brave’s live shows and —going forward— he will be joining the band in-studio for their next release. There is an obvious chemistry between the artists, one that has been cemented over the years; both on stage and off. There is not only an understanding of each other’s nuances, but a reverence for the uniqueness of each other’s playing style. It is this reverence, in particular, that makes SPILLINGS so compelling.

Most experimental albums feature little in the way of traditional songs; and SPILLINGS is no exception. The nine “songs” that make up its —just shy of— 40 minute runtime are fragments at least and movements at most. Casted Crime is all metallic echo, not to far removed from early Einstürzende Neubauten, whereas its followers, Precaution, 40 Grit and Violent Carrier all take a different tack. Precaution develops slowly, builds tension, then gives way to the crumbling thump of 40 Grit, whereas Violent Carrier is agonising, in the best way possible, as it takes more than its fair share of time —and then some— to reach its final destination; wailing and screeching all the way.

Skinned and Terminal Agitation are notable for their vocals, the former for Andrews’ and the latter for Ball’s. Andrews’ vocals on Skinned are dispassionate and distant, but in the very front of the mix, Ball’s vocals, however, on Terminal Agitation are muffled and in the background. Like the agonising cries of a torture victim, they punctuate the track with a harrowing intensity that undercut Andrews’ impassive delivery.

There’s a distinct coldness to SPILLINGS’ first record. This frigidity is echoed in the muttered clang of abandoned industry and coupled with the explosive hopelessness of an apocalypse. With SPILLINGS, Andrews and Ball may well have ushered in the start of the year, whilst simultaneously soundtracking the end of  the world; a powerful, perfunctory record —full of juxtapositions—  that is both life-affirming and doomsday confirming.

Nick Stephan