Local Review: Modifiers — Well Oiled Machine

Modifiers
Well Oiled Machine
Nuclear Tsunami
Street: 10.16.2024
Modifiers = Dick Dale & His Del-Tones + Bad Religion

In anticipation of Salt Lake City punk and surf rock group Modifiers’ upcoming album To Doom We Go — and after seeing them on the bill for the upcoming Circle Jerks, Adolescents and Negative Approach show at The Depot on Oct. 8 — I knew I had to listen to the group’s previous release, Well Oiled Machine.

The album’s title track starts with industrial-like echoes that segue into driving lead and rhythm guitars, followed up by punchy drumming and basslines. Lyrics highlight the destruction of the world, the nation and the people within them that “feed, the well oiled machine” and live through this destruction, with blinders over their eyes and fake smiles spread across their faces, lacking the drive necessary to resist this machine. “Give up your lives willingly for me, march to your deaths willingly for me,” sings lead vocalist and bassist Chris Proctor.

Track two, “Human Wasteland, Pt. 1,” sounds to me almost like a Western movie soundtrack. Between the initial guitar tone, joined together by strong, opening vocal harmonies, it serves as an excellent bridge between the opener “Well Oiled Machine” and track three “Into the Sun.” Instrumentalism and vocal performances build on top of themselves, steady and progressive instrumental supporting those aforementioned strong harmonies with expressive vocals that carry the same weight and acknowledgement as the ongoing destruction. Sonically, they offer a chance for the audience to breathe before the Dead Kennedys–esque speed and pace of “Into the Sun” opens with blistering drums and lead guitar that could cause a statue to start moshing. With lyrics such as “We’ve tried some better ways, but they always seem to fail / Like on the open sea with no wind in our sail,” and, “This is, despair / We seem to go nowhere / Now set me free as I step into the sun,” the track carries itself with momentum through angsty, fast, sometimes chanting vocal delivery as well as a layered rhythm section and anchored lead guitar.

“Everything’s Fine” reminded me a lot of standout tracks from Bad Religion’s seminal record Suffer  — namely “You Are (The Government)” and “Give You Nothing” — with its thick and quick exploration into attempting to understand people who grow complacent and enable “wolves in a wolf disguise” to “take our money, take our time, everything is fine / They take the whole world, burn it down / And don’t forget to smile, cause everything is fine.” This idea and attitude unfortunately grows more relevant with every passing day.

Track five, “War On You,” starts with held chords and an echoing guitar tone before exploding into impassioned lyrics: “Not long ago you didn’t have a say / Now you give it up like there’s just no other way / Throw your rights straight into the trash.” This is elevated by rhythmic drumming and stable, expressive guitar that brings some nuance and texture to the track ahead of its close and subsequent transition into “Brought to You By.” Opening with “Brought to you by the Bill and Melinda Death Foundation, and viewers like you,” this next track launches into group call-and-response-style vocals that are elevated by the same kinds of fast-paced, multi-layered and expressive instrumentals that have acted as a backbone for each track so far.

“Lost My Mind” is noticeably different in sound, pace and feeling, sounding almost like a deep cut I could find on a record from bands such as The Offspring or Sum 41. The track has an anthemic quality and an almost uplifting tone. However, the lyrics are a stark contrast to the sound, with strong feelings of hopelessness, self-destructive behavior and negative self perceptions. “Lost My Mind” is a nice change of pace after the barrage of tracks previous to this.

Next is an instrumental track simply titled “Modifiers.” Bringing in more obvious surf-rock influence in both the lead and rhythm guitar across the track, “Modifiers” is a great follow-up to “Lost My Mind” that brought me back to when I first heard Misirlou by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones in Quentin Tarantino‘s Pulp Fiction.

“Riot” opens with a smooth bassline and a return to the energetic and intense guitar and drum fills. The track’s lyrics demand response — “What will you do / Will you / Riot!” — to mass corporate overreach that plagues our everyday lives. “Are you tired of the way they make the world go ‘round / An impossible situation and we have to burn it down / Cause this corporate control’s all we have left,” they sing.

The record closes with “That’s What They Get” and “Fallout.” Both songs have a stellar cadence, engaging instrumentals and, like a lot of previous tracks, create impactful storytelling through their lyrical content. “That’s What They Get” impressed me with its opening verse, specifically the lines “There’s not a light on when you need one the most” and “There’s never a change when you need one the most.” “Fallout” is a harrowing climax to the record — one that speaks on a seemingly inevitable total annihilation that the songwriter sees coming and has come to almost embrace: “Let’s watch it rise and fall / I’d rather live in fallout / There’s nothing left at all / There’s nothing left to miss / There’s no one left to call.” These lines are delivered with emotion and deliberate inflection, emphasizing the tone of the track and bringing the record to its end.

This is a fast, tight and ultimately groovy punk record that gives a lot of reasons to be excited for whatever Modifiers does next and wherever that might bring them. —Hans Magleby

Read more local album reviews:
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Local Music Singles Roundup: October 2025