Behold “Social Mask,” the new single by the cantankerous, calamitous, and cacophonous noise-punks known as Wipes—an allusion to dirty toilet paper, no doubt. The track gives an accurate glimpse into the band’s new record, which is on the horizon for release by Hex Records. Not to be confused with Wipers, the influential Portland post-punk band that both Nirvana and the Melvins covered, the rather similar-sounding Wipes are still in their toddler years and hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Wipes carry the heavily distorted torch previously held by Wipers but are even more committed to making exuberant, off-kilter noise. It’s hard to listen to “Social Mask” without your brain conjuring up images of young, unruly delinquents ramming into each other as the band performs the song.
Wipes started squirting out their endearingly obnoxious tantrums in mid-2021 with the single “Pick Me” and their first album, the snottily sarcastic Making Friends, in November of the following year. They caught on quickly thanks to the dent that Tile (which featured Wipes vocalist/bassist Ray Gurz and guitarist Daryl Fogel) made during their 10 years trudging though equally grimy material. The band’s upcoming sophomore release reeks of such reckless abandon—it’s something of a miracle that Gurz, Fogel, and drummer Garrett Groller made it through the 46-minute album still standing. The title of the record, Don’t Tell My Parents, is almost too on-the-nose. A bloody, broken nose.
“I wrote this as a feeling that I just can't stand being in some social settings,” Gurz shares of the new single. “It's funny, ’cause I play in front of crowds, but that doesn’t happen daily. More or less, I put a mask on when I’m out. I smile. I stare. I laugh. I also feel like I’m not the only one in the world doing it, [from discussing] the world’s current events up to the mildest interactions at a convenience store. Some are rad. Some are downright awful. I pretend to love it all.”
Keep an eye out for Don’t Tell My Parents when it surfaces for public consumption on May 23. In the meantime, stream “Social Mask” below.
