I Set My Friends On Fire, Strawberry Girls, und Current Comfort

It’s probably prudent not to expect any band with a name like I Set My Friends on Fire to be deeply rooted in serious classical stylings, and it’s true that the outfit from Miami, Florida - technically speaking, comprised solely of Matt Mehana - are involved with genres that are both as new and as open to accusations of novelty as crunkcore and electronicore. It’s their erratic sense of humour and undeniable energy that earned them a worldwide audience when they released their first album, You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter, in 2008; the record was widely panned by the critics, with its efforts to being together brutal noise and melodic songwriting considered too diffuse a potential blend, but won them a modest but committed fanbase, one that’s allowed them to continue touring, writing and recording since. After Astral Rejection, their second album, widened their audience without faring any better with the critics, they toured as a three-piece, bringing the kind of reckless energy to their shows that the likes of peers like Brokencyde have achieved over the course of their own career. Next up is album number three, Caterpillar Sex, later this year; new worldwide dates are sure to follow hot on the heels of its release.