Flesh Cherub Shares ‘Permanent Stench’; Debut EP Doom Groove

Flesh Cherub, the solo project of Naarm/Melbourne artist and multi-instrumentalist Liam McVay (he/they)) follows ‘Ash’ with new track, ‘Permanent Stench’. It’s the second and final taste of debut EP Doom Groove, out Friday, November 29 independently.

With stripped-back instrumentation and poignant emotion, McVay calls their latest single, ‘Permanent Stench’, an “ode to self hate”. “I don’t want to get better”, McVay sings, their stately vocals paired with gentle strums of electric guitar. By the final verse, they come to a realisation: things can get better if you allow them to.

Despite their death metal-sounding moniker, Flesh Cherub – AKA Liam McVay – crafts “love songs to self-hate”, rooted in fringe folk and alt-country.

Doom Groove is a testament to the power of music as a form of catharsis; a way to confront inner demons. Across the record’s five tracks, McVay delves into their struggles with sobriety, mental health, and the wreckage of past relationships, while pondering the mundanity of existence in a world teetering on the brink of collapse. Using sly, pitch-black humour to reflect on their journey of self-hate, alcoholism, and self-discovery, they share, "The EP explores my journey to sobriety, while simultaneously having a laugh at how silly and miserable I can be."

McVay recorded Doom Groove entirely on their own, at home, a process that lent itself to the songs' raw and intimate quality. "It was a very lonely process, one which I think helped convey my yearning," McVay reflects. "I used to always drink while messing about on Ableton, so it was interesting pairing the instrumentation back and reflecting and writing without my ex-best friend alcohol."

Lyrically, Doom Groove is deeply personal and powerful. McVay pours their heart out, sharing their struggles with suicidal ideation, craving numbness, and the challenges of living without alcohol. "The lyrics are very important to me," McVay explains. "They allow me to express things in my life that I don't always have the words for conversationally. I spend so much time crafting the right rhymes and metaphors, writing little jokes at my own expense."

The EP is an invitation to embrace the absurdity of existence and find humour in the face of despair. It's a record that will resonate with anyone who has ever grappled with self-doubt, loneliness, and existential dread.

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