No Men are one of Chicago’s most idiosyncratic bands, mixing doom-metal walls of sound, punk velocity, and a pinch of hooky new wave—this wolf wouldn’t be surprised to find Missing Persons in the trio’s collection! No Men also have a thing for “killer” videos—in 2016 they collaborated with director Greg Reigh on a bloody Dario Argento-esque short for the rabid “Stay Dumb.” They’ve been working with Reigh again on a video for “Sucker,” which bassist DB describes as “a twisted-up western about abuse of power and environmental degradation, with some witchcraft and demon shit.” On Wednesday, September 4, No Men play a Sleeping Village show that’s also a video premiere; in November, “Sucker” will appear on their new album for Let’s Pretend Records, Hell Was Full So We Came Back.
In the early 2010s, Dap-Kings drummer Homer Steinweiss and rap producer Frank Dukes recruited Chicago singer Doug Shorts for a modern-soul project. They’d meant to release an album, but for years nothing came out . . . until Daptone released the 2018 Shorts seven-inch “Casual Encounter” b/w “Keep Your Head Up.” This month the label dropped another Shorts seven-inch and the Casual Encounter digital EP. Put that heat on wax, Daptone! v
