Pitchfork

Some bands might wield a song title like "Parasite Fungus" as if combining two words with often negative connotations somehow makes a work avant-garde. Frauke rock "Parasite Fungus" as if it's funny (hey, it kind of is) and as if they hate you (they probably don't, but that's their URL if not their M.O.). Either way, the Brooklyn-based punk trio of Tammy Duncan, husband Andrew Duncan, and Goes Cube's David Obuchowski dig this track-- from full-length debut Dirtier Than Horses-- a shallow grave of trebly hammer-on guitar riffs and attention-deficit drumming, then cover it up with some distorted banshee wails. As the drums and cymbal crashes build up intensity, after a verse or so the guitars start to sound less "American Girl" and more "Last Nite"-- albeit quite a bit messier than both. Perhaps it's because they're decomposing: "I'm already dead," Tammy bellows, and almost as soon as the track has begun, sure enough, it goes dead. But that shouldn't stop the parasite fungus. Not yet. (There's also an unofficial video for the track, posted below the link.)

Stream:> Frauke: "Parasite Fungus"

[from Dirtier Than Horses; out now and self-released]