FACS
Wish Defense
Trouble In Mind Records [2025]
“Seven tracks of angular intensity, haunting repetition, and post-punk precision—FACS craft one of their most gripping records yet.”
Album Overview: Formed in Chicago, FACS emerged in 2017 from the remnants of Disappears, with guitarist Brian Case and drummer Noah Leger carrying forward their sharp-edged, experimental sound. Over the years, they’ve built a reputation for pushing post-punk and noise rock in new directions. After bassist Alianna Kalaba’s tenure, original member Jonathan Van Herik returned, shifting into the bass role for their latest release, Wish Defense. This album is a confrontation with the self, exploring the tension between identity and performance. Lyrically and visually, it plays with themes of reflection, mirroring, and duality. The stark black-and-white cover echoes the aesthetic of their 2018 debut, Negative Houses, reinforcing its introspective themes. Adding to its significance, Wish Defense is the final project recorded with Steve Albini before his passing, with Sanford Parker and John Congleton ensuring its completion in line with Albini’s original vision.
Musical Style: FACS continue to craft tense, fractured compositions that lean into dissonance and rhythm-heavy structures. Guitars slash through space while basslines carve out an ominous foundation, all driven by Leger’s commanding percussion. The production captures a raw, immediate energy, balancing mechanical precision with hypnotic repetition. Across seven tracks and 31 minutes, the album pulses with anxious rhythms that push the listener forward, each transition sharpening the album’s overall intensity.
Evolution of Sound: With Van Herik rejoining in a new role, the band’s chemistry has shifted, offering a fresh take on their established sound. The interplay between bass and guitar takes on sharper contrasts, creating unpredictable turns and angular textures. While previous records built tension through atmosphere, Wish Defense embraces sharper edges and a dynamic sense of movement. The space between the notes is where FACS generate an intensity that few bands can match.
Artists with Similar Fire: Fans of This Heat’s wiry intensity, Unwound’s angular force, or Suicide’s rhythmic menace will find common ground with Wish Defense. There are also echoes of Shellac’s raw production and the shadowy dynamics of Women, all woven into FACS’ singular identity.
Pivotal Tracks: The title track, “Wish Defense,” encapsulates the album’s themes with lyrics questioning authenticity and perception. Opener “Talking Haunted” plays with shifting patterns and an uneasy pulse, amplifying the record’s central motifs. Meanwhile, “Desire Path” leans into haunting repetition, its deceptively simple structure burrowing under the skin as it reinforces the idea of confronting one’s own reflection.
Lyrical Strength: Brian Case’s lyrics wrestle with existential doubt and the fluid nature of identity. His fragmented lines circle around themes of self-awareness and performance, avoiding easy conclusions. Instead, they leave room for interpretation—are we shaped by our choices, or by the personas we construct for others? Wish Defense doesn’t just pose these questions; it lingers in their unsettling space.
Final Groove: Wish Defense is both cerebral and visceral, balancing tightly wound tension with moments of stark release. It refines everything FACS have built over the years while pushing into sharper, more confrontational territory. As the final project touched by Albini’s hand, it carries an added weight, but beyond that, it’s simply a gripping, immersive listen. Where FACS go next remains uncertain, but Wish Defense ensures they’ll have an eager audience waiting.
FACS LINKS
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Trouble In Mind Records
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