I had seen something somewhere about Rochester, NY outfit Feel Worse and a connection to Sulaco and thought, "I like that band name, and Sulaco. I should check that out." Yet, the internet being what it is today, it quickly slipped my mind amidst a constant deluge of new information (and nonsense). Thankfully, Rennie from Starkweather gave 'em a shout in his Substack sometime last month, which reminded me to actually take a listen.
Quite good, as expected.
The lineup also carries ties to some other groups that I'm unfamiliar with (CHRMR, Sully, etc.), which might in part explain why this outing is far different than Sulaco. As opposed to gnashing, quirky metal it's a dark, angular hybrid of noise rock/post-hardcore that's equal parts hefty and melodic, with a narrative quality to the vocals—which range from sneering to singing to half-spoken.
Self-released and digital-only, This Will Weigh Heavily on Your Annual Performance Appraisal was probably the last release of 2025 to really capture my interest and feel like something special/notable. It's certainly deserving of a physical release, but... they do have shirts, if you're interested. Otherwise, first stop Bandcamp. If you stream, I guess you can fire up Apple Music or visit the steaming hellhole of Spotify.
