Chicago punk crew Meat Wave have announced their fourth studio album, Malign Hex, out October 14. It comes five years after 2017’s The Incessant and features already-released singles “Ridiculous Car” and “Honest Living.” Today, the band is sharing another album cut called “What Would You Like Me To Do.”

“Our sound in the beginning was consistently very driving,” bassist Joe Gac says of how the band has evolved. “Now, that characteristic is merely a tool we can reach for. I don’t think it completely defines what we’re doing.”

As opposed to The Incessant, which was recorded over the course of four days, Malign Hex has been a work in progress since 2019. “We recorded [Malign Hex] the same way we always have — live in a room together,” says drummer Ryan Wizniak. “But we allowed ourselves to embellish more and take more chances with extra instrumentation.”

Gac adds: “We moved further away from the principle that we need to recreate every element on the album live. There was no shame in adding extra overdubs and different sounds.”

Listen to “What Would You Like Me To Do” below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Disney”
02 “Honest Living”
03 “Ridiculous Car”
04 “What Would You Like Me To Do”
05 “Complaint”
06 “Merchandise Mart”
07 “Waveless”
08 “10K”
09 “Jim’s Teeth”
10 “Malign”

TOUR DATES:
10/24 — Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop #
10/26 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn ^
10/27 — Atlanta, GA @ The Earl ^
10/28 — Gainesville, FL @ The Fest
10/30 — Tulsa, OK @ The Whittier Bar #
10/31 — Austin, TX @ Mohawk *
11/01 — Dallas, TX @ Trees *
11/03 — Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad *
11/04 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge *
11/10 — Omaha, NE @ O’Leavers #
11/11 — Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club #
11/12 — Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle #

^ — supporting Metz
— supporting The Bronx, Drug Church
# — headline show

Malign Hex is out 10/14 via Swami Records.