Jon Spencer has been making unruly rock since 1991, and Songs of Personal Loss and Protest keeps that line moving with garage punk, blues grit, and a hard, fast pulse. Kendall Wind on bass and Macky Spider Bowman on drums give these songs a tight, heavy engine, with both also contributing vocals and other instruments. Fuzz bass sits right up front, the drums hit hard, and Spencer piles on guitar, synth, organ, and percussion around vocals that shift from a holler to a rough croon. It’s loud, physical music, but the groove matters as much as the abrasion.
The New York connection is clear, though the album also reaches back to Chile for “Vermin Attack!” and “Mr. Lion,” recorded there with Felipe Ruz and Perrosky. Most of the set was cut at Applehead Recording in Woodstock over three days in July 2025, with Chris Bittner recording, mixing, and Spencer producing. “Hangover,” “Knock ’Em Dead,” and “Step On The Gas” sound like natural homes for the record’s impatient charge, while “Slip Away” and “No More” point toward its more worn-down side. Fans of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Heavy Trash, and garage rock with a protest streak should know what they’re getting. It comes as a paid release with a vinyl LP option.
