The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - Deface The Currency

The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis return with Deface the Currency, their second collaboration and a striking leap forward in intensity, scale and ambition. Recorded straight after a European tour, the album captures a group transformed by constant motion, with engineer Don Godwin bottling the impact of a band sharpened by relentless live performance.

The music is expansive and volatile, built from tightly locked melodic lines, sudden ruptures and waves of improvisation that feel driven by urgency rather than restraint. There’s a sense of risk throughout, as if each piece is discovering its shape in real time, fuelled by the momentum of musicians deeply attuned to one another.

Guitarist Anthony Pirog brings a chameleonic approach, moving effortlessly between precision and abrasion, while saxophonist James Brandon Lewis cuts through with commanding presence and restless invention. Beneath it all, Brendan Canty and Joe Lally (both of Fugazi), long celebrated for their work together, provide a rhythm section that is both unyielding and fluid.

Deface the Currency thrives on collision, pulling from jazz, punk and experimental traditions without settling into any one of them. The result is a record that feels vital and uncontained, driven by shared history, mutual trust and a collective urge to push further.