Meat Wave is constantly being asked about its name, but it gets why you would. Pulled from a classic headline in The Onion, the Chicago-based trio will release its new album Delusion Moon via SideOneDummy on September 18.

Stream the blistering title track “Delusion Moon” via SoundCloud.

Delusion Moon is a record that works as one interlocking piece. Focusing on the lunar cycles and the concept of moon sickness, Meat Wave puts themselves in other peoples’ shoes and attempts to work through the insanity of our modern world.

“When I was writing this record, it was probably the craziest time in my life. I had a service industry job, was in school studying journalism and pretty much everybody I encountered just seemed insane,” explains singer/guitarist Chris Sutter, explaining how each one of Delusion Moon’s tracks is a first-person account from the perspective of one of these lunatics.

Ultimately, Delusion Moon is a cunning satire – an attempt to find clarity among the madness, sucking everyone in and uniting them all in the way only this band can.

Formed in 2011 by the trio of Chris Sutter (vocals/guitar), Joe Gac (bass) and Ryan Wizniak (drums), the three punk scene stalwarts came together and, just a year later, released its self-titled full-length debut. That first collection of songs was a master class in abrasive post-punk made to feel poppy, simultaneously referencing Hot Snakes, the disgruntled lyricism of Shellac and a little bit of The Jesus Lizard’s fire-spitting sneer just for good measure.