From the art to the lyrics, there is nothing subtle about Cult Therapy. Their full-length debut, Get Fucked, Sinner, is an unsparing account of religious trauma and abuse lead singer Jason Duncan experienced growing up in a religious cult. His continued recovery from that experience centers this collection of raging, but accessible songs. It’s equal parts raw confessional, grief exorcism, and journey of healing, and is one of the singular records of the year to date. It’s a menacing indictment of religion’s power to coerce, create fear, control, and harm, a primal scream in the face of that hypocrisy, and a testament to the work that goes into healing.
Cult Therapy’s sound is a potent swirl of punk and 1990s alternative rock, and they have cellist Jess Duncan to set them apart, and the massive production from Marc Jacob Hudson, who has worked with Laura Jane Grace and more recently produced Cursive‘s Devourer. Hudson made Cursive sound more alive and invigorated than they have in years on that record, and here his work is equally impressive. This is bold, confrontational music, and Hudson knows when to let the listener breathe to keep it from getting overwhelming. Get Fucked Sinner sounds unhinged and vulnerable in equal measure, aligning the massive, cathartic sounds with Duncan’s confessional lyrics.
While it’s not an apples-to-apples match, Devourer is a thematic touchpoint here, with the seething anger at the state of American culture that record delivers. One song opens with the line “I want to fuck without feeling like I’m going to hell.” Later, he shares, “Please show me a sign that any of this was worth it, and the heavens said ‘fuck you, fuck me’.” Duncan has picked the scab on every wound and is bleeding for this. He’s leaving nothing for later. His bandmates deliver endlessly memorable arrangements to keep the listener returning, matching his fury with a heavy, but accessible attack.
Opener “Don’t Worry” explodes from the speakers and serves as the record’s thesis. Inspired by the documentary Pray Away, Duncan plays the role of a coercive pastor, encouraging a victim of abuse to provide a testimonial, and not to leave out the most personal details, because “the darker the story, the more the gospel light shines”. Anyone who has spent time in churches like this will recognize the truth of Duncan’s words and will feel their blood boiling from lines like, “C’mon. Step out on faith.”
“Therapy and Drugs” digs into Duncan’s reckoning with finding his best friend and father dead from an opioid-related overdose, the titular interventions helping him process grief, along with supportive people in his life. Pixies-tinged “Deacon’s House” describes the fallout of abuse at the hands of a pastor. Unnerving details emerge over a loud-quiet-loud structure that ends with Duncan summoning a Black Francis howl for the last few lines.
Musically, there are some breathers built into the journey. “Sounds from the Cult, 1985” is a brief interlude that bridges the two halves of the journey. “He Loves Me (Born Evil)” begins with acoustic guitars and builds to a pretty mid-tempo pop song. Closer “Born Again” is a decisive step toward healing anchored by the line “Burn with me / Be set free.” After going on the journey with Duncan and the rest of Cult Therapy, it feels like a sigh of relief, before the song explodes into a lacerating riff, before Jess Duncan’s cello ends the record in a chilling moment.
It is a fitting end to the duality of the journey Get Fucked, Sinner takes the listener on. The villain is still in the shadows, not entirely disappeared, likely to emerge again, triggered by a memory. For those of us who have felt the sting of religion’s punishment, coercion, and judgment, this is a powerful and recognizable feeling.
The record immediately announces that it’s not for everyone through its title and artwork, but for those who are drawn to its provocative themes and images, it is a fruitful journey. It is easy to imagine people who have been burned by religion feeling like Duncan is speaking for them. For those of us who are furious about the drive to put the Ten Commandments on the wall before making schools safe and providing kids with the resources they need, while not a week goes by without a church leader being accused of misconduct, among other current atrocities, is fuel for the fire. For fans of heavy, catchy music, it is essential listening.