Irregularis (The Great Hiatus)

Billy Childish disbanded Thee Headcoats at the turn of the 21st century, but 22 years after their split, they surprised everyone (well, everyone who’d heard of them in the first place) by coming back with Irregularis (The Great Hiatus). The songs are the same as ever — a simple, head-cracking mix of blues and primitive garage rock played on guitar, bass, and drums, with enough distortion to make any stereo sound like an antique transistor radio — but advances in recording and mastering technology give them extra fullness and punch. The amps and microphones they’re using give their songs much more whomp than they had in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and it’s hard to say for sure whether that’s a good or a band thing. One thing that definitely makes this album feel like fan service is the sheer number of self-referential songs (“The Baker Street Irregulars,” “Thee Headcoatitude,” “Mr H Headcoat,” “The Leader of the Sect”), but it’s still a blast, and it’s good to hear the old crew crank it up one more time.