In February, Mr. Bungle blew fans’ minds by playing their first shows in nearly two decades, momentous concerts that saw original members Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn and Trey Spruance joined by thrash legends Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo. The avant-metal weirdos played their first demo, 1986’s The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny, in entirety, and broke out three previously un-recorded originals plus an array of of cover songs ranging from Slayer to the Cro-Mags. Then in March, the quintet hit the studio to record all of the above for a forthcoming full-length. The first taste of those sessions came today (June 5th) as Mr. Bungle unleashed the studio version of their rendition to the Exploited’s outraged punk anthem “USA.” The single is available now via all digital platforms and marks Bungle’s first recorded music in 21 years. As if that weren’t enough, through July 4th, the band is also donating ll proceeds from both the song and a new limited-edition T-shirt (see it below) to the MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund. The shirt, which will only be up for purchase through Independence Day, is available exclusively on Mr. Bungle’s webstore.
“Doesn’t matter what part of the political spectrum you are on, everyone at some point has said, ‘Fuck the USA,'” Spruance proclaimed of the Exploited cover. “The closest thing we have to a universal sentiment.”
Greg Werckman, co-owner of Ipecac Recordings, which released the single and will be releasing Bungle’s upcoming album, added, “This is a song that resonates and speaks to the country that Ipecac calls home. Over 100,000 U.S. citizens are dead from the pandemic. At the same time protective masks have turned into a political football and no one has a grasp on testing. Racism continues to rear its ugly head. Police brutality spikes, unemployment spikes, depression spikes and ‘our’ ego driven elected officials don’t seem to care. We need to do a better job of looking out for each other. MusiCares looks after all of us in the music community.”
