Cream Premiere: Megajoos, Stacks [Fresh Tracks]

Just when you thought you were in for a case of the Mondays, here comes local fuzz-punk duo Megajoos to kick off your week with a brand-spankin' new EP. It's called Stacks, and it isn't officially available until tomorrow, but the guys were kind enough to offer us an exclusive first-listen opportunity: Below you can stream the record in its entirety, including two physical-copy-only bonus tracks.

This time out, the Joos have a little darker flavor than before. Their sound still features heavy, fuzzy bass and nimble, powerhouse drumming, but there's a tense, early-Minutemen vibe (though Screen Door Records chief Justin Kirkland's production has better fidelity than any early SST release). Instead of writing about demons' favorite snack foods and trying to avoid your parents while you're tripping balls, they offer songs like "History by the Winners." Even the title cut looks at playing music through "stacks on stacks of amps" as an antidote to feelings of mortality and alienation. That's some heavy shit, but not inappropriate for our heavy times: there are currently more armed conflicts and humanitarian crises spread across the globe than can fit on the front page.

The dynamic duo will celebrate the release of Stacks with a show Friday night at Phat Bites Deli, one of the hippest hangs in Hip Donelson, and they've got some solid support on the bill: Mouth Reader, Future Daze and Ben Spinks Supermelt (check next week's Scene for a little more on that). At the merch table, Funky Frankenstein Records will have a limited run (25 copies) of the EP on a 10-inch lathe-cut polycarbonate disc. The physical version includes two songs ("Death Wins" and "Sucking as a Human Being") that will not appear on the digital release tomorrow, but you can hear 'em right here, for today only.