As distinct and visceral as they are, when one tries to neatly place Squid Pisser into a box of sound or genre, it’s impossible to pin them down. Sure, you could call it grindcore, but they’re anything but by-the-numbers speed and gore. You could also try to boil it down to noise rock or punk, but even among their crustiest compatriots, they’d stand out as nightmares come to life.
A big part of that is more than just the music – most of Tommy Meehan’s bands have character, and we mean that as literally as we can. More than just masks or costumes, there are separate, if consistent, shifts in tone.
In addition the uncanny, Jon Waters-flavored getups of Squid Pisser, Meehan has played a full on lizard / snake person in Cancer Christ, a hulking, animal obsessed alien for GWAR, and other roles too grotesque to define. We couldn’t have it any other way, and we were beyond honored to set up an interview last week to try to get down to the nitty gritty of all this putrescence.
The band also just released the insanely titled “Fart F****** Fuck Face,” which sounds like a title you’d expect from GG Allin or Anal Cunt, but it’s actually about letting that freak flag fly no matter it represents in the face of polite society. It also has one of our favorite vocal performances from Meehan, full stop. It almost has a frenzied Sex Pistols vibe in that regard, but musically it’s the usual fresh hell of winding, unforgiving dissonance, and for that, we are thankful.
Much like “Mucus,” the other single released in preview of their upcoming EP Throat Slave, there’s something deeper and darker to it in a more personal way. It’s antagonistic as it gets, but for all its razor sharp, glowing edges, there’s a vulnerability to it.
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It doesn’t show weakness of course, just lets you in deeper before tearing everything apart. In the interview below, we even mention that from what we’ve heard so far, the record teases an Iowa-esque sense of solemnity behind the depravity.
But honestly, we get into a lot of great stuff like naming characters, transitioning from animation to music during the pandemic, recruiting Brady Kennedy from CLOUTCHASER, writing with GWAR, and how Throat Slave was recorded, so whether you’re a seasoned fan or a cautious, wide-eyed newcomer, we hope you enjoy the talk as much as we did.
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Huge thanks to Tommy again for speaking with us so candidly and to Jon Freeman for setting up the meet! We’ll keep you posted on Throat Slave so keep your eye out for a writeup soon but if you want to get up close and personal yourself don’t forget Squid Pisser kicks off the second leg of their Tumors Across America Tour next month! Peep the dates below and get your tickets here:
AUG 19 WED
Alex’s Bar @ 9:00 PM
Flattbush
Long Beach, CA, United States
AUG 20 THU
Cafe Colonial @ 7:30 PM
Sacramento, CA, United States
AUG 21 FRI
The Phoenix Theater @ 8:00 PM
Petaluma, CA, United States
AUG 22 SAT
Transplants Brewing Company @ 7:30 PM
Palmdale, CA, United States
AUG 23 SUN
Queen B Vinyl Café @ 7:30 PM
Cottonwood, AZ, United States
AUG 24 MON
Whiskey Creek Zócalo @ 7:30 PM
Arenas Valley, NM, United States
AUG 25 TUE
EP Underground @ 7:30 PM
El Paso, TX, United States
AUG 27 THU
The Lost Well @ 7:00 PM
Austin, TX, United States
AUG 28 FRI
The End @ 7:30 PM
Houston, TX, United States
AUG 29 SAT
Poor Boys Bar @ 7:30 PM
New Orleans, LA, United States
AUG 30 SUN
The Nick @ 7:00 PM
Birmingham, AL, United States
AUG 31 MON
529 Bar @ 8:00 PM
Atlanta, GA, United States
SEP 1 TUE
Tin Roof @ 7:30 PM
Charleston, SC, United States
SEP 2 WED
Snug Harbor @ 7:30 PM
Charlotte, NC, United States
SEP 3 THU
Static Age Records @ 7:00 PM
Asheville, NC, United States
SEP 4 FRI
Muddy Roots Music Festival 2026 @ 10:00 AM
Cookeville, TN, United States
SEP 5 SAT
Capital City Music Hall Lower Level @ 7:00 PM
Harrisburg, PA, United States
SEP 6 SUN
RPM Fest 2026 @ 10:00 AM
Montague, MA, United States
SEP 7 MON
Cherry Street Station @ 7:30 PM
Wallingford, CT, United States
SEP 8 TUE
Nikki Lopez @ 7:00 PM
Philadelphia, PA, United States
SEP 9 WED
Westside Bowl @ 7:00 PM
DAGGRSBody Farm
Youngstown, OH, United States
SEP 10 THU
Live Wire Lounge @ 7:30 PM
Chicago, IL, United States
SEP 11 FRI
The Den @ 7:30 PM
Sioux Falls, SD, United States
SEP 12 SAT
Reverb @ 7:30 PM
Omaha, NE, United States
SEP 13 SUN
Minibar @ 7:00 PM
Kcmo, MO, United States
OCT 25 SUN
Revolution Hall @ 8:00 PM
XCOMM
Portland, OR, United States
OCT 26 MON
Commodore Ballroom @ 7:00 PM
The Dillinger Escape PlanXCOMM
Vancouver, BC, Canada
OCT 27 TUE
Neptune Theatre @ 8:00 PM
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Seattle, WA, United States
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here as well. Don’t let the bastards get you down!)