The New York City post-punk trio Recalculating is back with their latest album, Do You Like to Laugh?, dropping one day ahead of its official release. This Steve Albini-engineered LP is a visceral exploration of the pandemic era’s emotional landscape, drenched in jagged guitars, cultural references, and a balance between hope and despair.
The band’s bassist and vocalist, Sean Wiederkehr, offers insight into the album’s creation: “Do You Like to Laugh? is our first album since 2020, so it circles back to some of what we think are the main themes of this era — vulnerability, absurdity, feeling out of control — without beating that point to death. Over our previous releases, we honed an edgy, jittery sound and were looking to build on that without just reproducing it. That’s why we shook things up and got way out of our comfort zone.”
Recording with the legendary Steve Albini at Chicago’s Electrical Audio was a game-changer for the band.
“Recording with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio was an amazing, singular experience — we’re grateful to have gotten a chance to work with him. The band didn’t quite know what to expect and definitely keyed off that tension to capture some of the energy and nerves of playing live,” Sean adds. The result is an album that blends the rawness of live performance with a polished studio sound, a blend that captures the chaotic energy of its creation.
Guitarist and vocalist Scott Sendrow reflects on the band’s artistic evolution: “This is our best foot forward. The instrumentation is wiry and taut, and the lyrics hit at the manic, sometimes awkward place we were in when we first started developing the songs. The set is polished in all the ways you’d expect from Albini but introduces a bit more vulnerability than in our previous albums.” This shift in tone marks a significant step in the band’s journey, as they navigate the fine line between aggression and introspection.
Recalculating has always been a band that thrives on the tension between opposing forces.
“The band first bonded over a love of songs that are thoughtful and well crafted while still off-kilter and, at times, aggressive. This record bounces around from loud and distorted to soft and maybe even a little sweet. We like to think of ourselves as wearing our heart on our sleeve without being overly sentimental — Do You Like to Laugh? lives up to that spirit,” Scott concludes.
With Do You Like to Laugh?, Recalculating solidifies their place in the modern post-punk landscape, delivering a record that’s as emotionally resonant as it is sonically challenging.
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