Why Bother?

A City of Unsolved Miseries

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***Mason City, Iowa's WHY BOTHER? return with A City of Unsolved Miseries, their third album in as many years. Their patented basement recording setup has yet again captured something magical, thirteen originals in all. From the fringes of a small, landlocked Midwestern city—Why Bother? have honed in on a punk sound that is original, self-driven and shows no signs of slowing. Swirling in darker thematics, such as the still unsolved 1995 disappearance of Mason City TV anchor Jodi Huisentruit, the album speaks to every outcast living out their days underneath dark, grey skies. However the music strikes you—Why Bother? have defined yet another chapter of their enigmatic existence with the genius sounds captured on A City of Unsolved Miseries. First pressing limited to 300 copies.

Why Bother?

There Are Such Things

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***Undeniably one of the most prolific punk bands of the moment, Iowa's WHY BOTHER? are back mere weeks after their debut LP with an eleven song cassette! Just in time for Halloween, WB? give us five new cuts on Side A backed with an assortment of remastered hits from previous small run tapes and lathe cuts, including an epic cover of "Whiskey Man" by The Who to close things out!

Why Bother?

Lacerated Nights

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Talk about a band...WHY BOTHER? are not only doing it themselves, but doing it for themselves. With zero interest in performing live or promoting their music online - the Mason City, Iowa four piece have been back in the basement writing and recording highly original punk music faster than it can be pressed to vinyl in this day and age. Their earliest material was collected on 'A Year of Mutations' and issued on LP by Feel It in 2021 - since then, the band has been building towards their first full length, and hot damn does it deliver! Speck's guitar sound is cut straight from the ultra-trebly Killed By Death sound as Terry's vocals and '73 Univox 100 synth cut over top of the wildly dexterous rhythm section of Pamela and Paul. It's a sound both classic and futuristic from a group of Midwestern weirdos living outside the tech bubble, spinning their own web of sound straight from 8-track tape. So if you need a dose of true original punk rock in 2022 and beyond, WHY BOTHER? can give you that fix.

Why Bother?

A Year Of Mutations

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In the heart of the heartland, a mere ten miles from where the airplane carrying Buddy Holly crashed into a frozen cornfield, lies Mason City, Iowa. A town so small that it's pre-pandemic punk scene (with 20+ bands) went almost entirely unnoticed. That is, until the music of WHY BOTHER? and the "Punk on the Plains" compilations (curated by WB? drummer Paul), were made available by Tremendo Garaje - one of YouTube's most obsessive gateways into contemporary underground punk music. WHY BOTHER? is Terry on vocals + synth, Speck on guitar, Pamela on bass, and Paul on drums. Their sound takes the classic Midwestern punk approach of The Zero Boys and Toxic Reasons, adding in warm layers of synth and sci-fi thematics ala The Spits and darker post-punk moments in the vein of early Joy Division. Yet there's so much more to this band that defies comparison, for WHY BOTHER? are truly a singular experience. "A Year of Mutations" collects tracks from the first four WHY BOTHER? EPs, all of which were released in limited cassette and 7" lathe cut runs in 2020 and 2021. These have all been remastered, paired with several new tracks exclusive to this release, and repackaged in a fresh layout with artwork from D.H. Strother. WHY BOTHER? have no plans or intentions to perform live, but their basement 8-track recording setup shows no signs of slowing down. Expect more in 2022 & beyond!