In Lieu - Hooligan

Minneapolis’ In Lieu are Nikii Post - Vocals/Guitar Kyle Adams - Guitar Sam Claeys - Bass and Drummer Mano Holgin. The band, formed nine years ago, have several releases such as 2016’sFailing in the Right Direction EP, the 2017 Split w/Gramma, 2019’s full-length debut Hatemail, 2021’s Edible EP, 2023’s Kettle EP and last year’s Just Devastated EP.

Hooligan marks the band’s second full-length release and their first on Learning Curve, home to the superlative likes of The Triceratops, Scrunchies, MURF, Unstable Shapes...just some of the bands who I’ve been fortunate to cover for Clean Sheets. In Lieu have been named by influential music publication Racket as ones to look out for in 2025, furthermore they’ve not only played the Caterwaul festival, but alongside legends as Scream, Soulside, and God Bullies. This along with Adam Tucker’s (Thou and Primitive Man) studio work means expectations are high, I for one am excited to get stuck in.

‘Petz’ with its syncopated funky Drumming and Hip-Hop tinged Vocals initially recalled The Black Eyed Peas 2005 atrocity ‘My Humps’. Thankfully its given more of a Post-Hardcore makeover, with screams reminiscent of Gouge Away’s Christina Michelle. A bold opener. ‘Godfucker’ eschews the Pop/Hip-Hop connections of its predecessor, instead opting for the subtler tribal themed Apocalyptic Post-Metal of Neurosis but with the cathartic Vocal approach of the much missed Mia Zapata of The Gits (RIP). A slow burner but fantastic nonetheless. ‘Hooligan’ features the kind of beefy Hardcore riff that has seemingly inspired the ubiquitous and frankly preposterous ‘kung-fu’ style moshing that has sadly emerged in recent years. There’s also a little Grunge darkness present, one could imagine Tad, Melvins and the abrasiveness of Babes in Toyland, yep, it's that good. ‘Mule’ is interestingly named, recalling the Punk-Blues of the band of the same name as well as PJ Harvey’s early work. This is pure 1990’s and boy, nostalgia has never sounded as good as this.

‘Hail Mary’ is sludgy as hell, the tempos not dissimilar to what Black Flag produced post Damaged, with the Greg Ginn Black Sabbath inspired playing present. Vocally there’s a mix of Rollins self-styled immolation and Lydia Lunch’s badass attitude. A highlight on the album for me. By contrast ‘Christian Singles’ ups the tempo significantly starting with some pretty straight-ahead Punk Rock, but also with touches of Prong’s incredible Industrial Thrashcore around the time of Force Fed also present. If Unsane get your motor running then ‘Bully’ is precisely the tune for you, the riffs grinding, the Vocals harsh, and the music heavy as fuck. All that’s missing are that band’s gorily themed, blood-soaked album covers, stunning. ‘Gremlin’ has a Breeders vibe what with the jagged Alternative Rock, honeyed vocals and Garage Rock influences. This made for an unexpected yet welcome change in what has been a predominantly heavy release. ‘Torrent’ is pure Noise-Rock with that early 90’s Amphetamine Reptile sound certainly evident, think Strap It On era Helmet, Tar, Cows, all the greats, before the genre tag started being applied liberally to anyone with a vaguely discordant sound (even pretentious art-school rockers as Hella and Lightning Bolt). Props to In Lieu for keeping it real. ‘Traitor’ recalls System of a Down, one of the more intelligent bands from the Nu-Metal stable, Serj Tankian’s odd Vocal phrasings and the downtuned yet inventive Guitarwork apparent. A creative masterstroke with which to conclude proceedings.

At only nineteen minutes, this isn’t a record which will take up a lot of your time. However, its extraordinary how much musical depth and variety is packed in despite its short running time. One word...superb.