MESH's 'No Fun At All' Is a Jangle-Punk Debut That Earns Its Sharpened Edge
MESH’s No Fun At All is a proper full-length debut, but it arrives with the confidence of a band that’s already spent years sharpening its tools — the Philadelphia group put out a scrappier cassette back in 2021, and this eleven-track follow-up on Feel It Records, recorded by Ian Norris alongside the band, sounds like the version of MESH that record was always pointing toward. The Fire Note called it “one of the more exciting guitar records” of the current jangle and post-punk wave, and it’s hard to disagree.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Tom Riese and Steve Darling’s rhythm section is tighter and cleaner than the 2021 tape ever let it sound — the tape hiss is gone, but none of the tension that made the earlier recordings compelling has been sanded off with it.
The Spatial Dynamics: Sims Hardin and Allison Durham’s guitars occupy genuinely distinct registers rather than doubling each other, which gives the record a constant sense of two conversations happening at once instead of one loud one.
Standout Performance
Durham’s 12-string work on “Atrophy” is the clearest showcase of the album’s cleaner arrangement choices, giving a song that could’ve been a wall of noise real definition and shape instead.
Why It’s Certified
“Violent Peasant” is the thesis statement — the two guitarists’ contrasting approaches locking into something genuinely dynamic rather than redundant — while “Hold On To” shows off the full range the band’s built over its hiatus. Twenty-eight minutes, eleven tracks, not a wasted one among them. A debut full-length that sounds like a band that’s been ready for a while. Certified great.