Mudhoney have no right to be as good as they are in 2017. That they were one of grunge's most groundbreaking and revered acts only stacks the case against them—by now, they should either be enjoying their collective retirement or pushing out second-rate records that only 45-year-olds clad in flannel give half a damn about. And yet here we are, in 2017, listening to their new song, "Neanderfuck," remembering that their last album—2013's Vanishing Point—was one of that year's greatest rock records, and marveling at their ability to twist a trademarked sound into something that still sounds arresting.The track is a part of the BASH 17 compilation, released alongside the all-day party of the same name where Mudhoney will play alongside Melvins, Whores, and Lydia Lunch. It opens with a gnashing riff and opens up into two interweaving guitar lines. Mark Arm, Steve Turner, Dan Peters, and Guy Maddison sound like they're working independently of each other—laying down improvisations on a theme in separate rooms—until the chorus coalesces and everything screeches together. Peters is still a brutal drummer and Arm's voice has kept every drop of its cynicism. "You've got what you wanted / Is this what you wanted really?," he sings. "All the Oxycontin in the world / Won't make your pain go away."Listen to the track in full at the top of the page.Follow Alex Robert Ross on Twitter.
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