Anomaly Report, the anonymous Chicago-based arts collective known for its self-described โbrutalist neo-Soviet insomnia rock,โ has announced the release of Beautiful Terrible Things, the fifth full-length album the band has released since 2020. The 11-song LP will be available for purchase on Bandcamp and on all major streaming platforms on February 27, 2026.
Beautiful Terrible Things expands on the collectiveโs signature percussive, bass-driven alternative rockโmusic thatโs equal parts confrontational and sardonic. Fans of Anomaly Reportโs earlier work will recognize the tension between groove and abrasion, but the new record widens the frame to include brass-tinged, piano-pounding noise rock as well as electronic-tinged contemporary alternative. And though the bandโs sound has matured over the past two yearsโrelying less on distorted guitars and leaning heavily into bass and hornsโit is no less caustic.
Where Anomaly Reportโs previous LPโreleased under the รnemia Report imprintโturned inward, shaped by a period of emotional upheaval within the group, Beautiful Terrible Things fixes its gaze outward. The album grapples with a world that feels increasingly unmoored, addressing societal rot (โThereโs a Snake in the Barnโ), technological hubris (โDaedalusโ Folly,โ โThe Night Before Tomorrowโ), and the psychological toll that modern life exacts (โPrick,โ โMy Anxietyโ). Throughout, the bandโs sardonic wit remains intact, cutting through themes of guilt, remorse, and dread with a dry humor that refuses melodrama.
Standout tracks include โWicked,โ a version of which was released on Feb 13 as the albumโs first single, which uses vampirism as metaphor to explore confusion, alienation, and the simmering resentment of sudden transformation. Another highlight, โI Ainโt Over It,โ revisits and reworks one of the singles from God Laughs (2024), sharpening its edges while retaining its bruised defiance.
The album closes with โHereโs to Forgetting,โ a boozy, off-kilter singalong that sounds as if it was lifted from an amateur burlesque performance. Equal parts toast and confession, the track invites listeners to loosen their grip on regret while holding fast to โthe good times.โ Itโs a sentiment that feels self-directed, but generous enough to extend outwardโan unexpected grace note at the end of an album preoccupied with damage, survival, and uneasy laughter in the dark.
โHereโs to Forgetting was the first track we wrote for the LP,โ says Durak Polezny, multi-instrumentalist and creative force behind much of the bandโs material. โIt was a response to some personal tragedies weโd experienced recently, but where God Laughs addressed those same events with anger, Hereโs to Forgetting uses humor to laugh through the pain. But Beautiful Terrible Things is about more than that,โ he continues. โItโs about everything going on around us in the world right now โ the rush to incorporate artificial intelligence into our lives, the rampant violence, and increasing stupidity โ and it’s about how we, as artists, respond to it.โ
With Beautiful Terrible Things, Anomaly Report delivers a record thatโs noisy, restless, and uncomfortably aware of the moment it inhabits. Itโs an album that leans into ugliness without surrendering to it, finding something vitalโand occasionally funnyโinside the wreckage.
Play on repeat.
ABOUT ANOMALY REPORT
Anomaly Report is a collective of creators, makers, and musicians whoสผve been performing and recording together since longer than most of them can remember. Forged underground at the edges of Chicagoสผs hardcore punk scene, the bandสผs early influences included post-punk pioneers and heavy metal malcontents, sugary breakfast cereals, and Saturday morning cartoons. Over time, the group has incorporated additional influences, experiences, tools, and techniques. Its members have been making music together since 1982.
CAST & CREW
- The Electrician connects the lines. Measures right. Current, voltage, resistance, and power.
- The Enigma never falters. Makes you wonder.
- The Enthusiast owns the night. Stitches beats, samples delight.
- The Geologist tears down the walls. Measures wrong. Tinker, tweaker, bass reaper.
- The Professional guides the ship. Knows the score. Paints the waves.
- The Professor chairs the board. Never forgets. Cellar dweller, warbler, maths.ย
ANOMALOUS LINKS
Web: https://www.godlaughslast.com
Bandcamp: https://anomalyreport.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5F3XlgHPRZ0jHIWAA14ItC
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anomaly-report/1777493754
YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC8mzRxZ2FPmtnWTPVXzIp4g
https://youtube.com/@AnomalyReportHQ
