Mindless Self Indulgence are one of those bands that I learned about through a meme, which is honestly pretty fitting for these weirdos. They play this mental hybrid of industrial punk with synth-pop and a healthy dose of what-the-fuck-did-I-just-listen-to attitude. Its kinda Rush for bratty teenagers, they do have that technical edge hiding under all the chaos, and that Tom Sawyer cover proves they’ve got the chops even if they prefer using them to make complete insanity.
You’ll Rebel to Anything is basically MSI doing what MSI does best, being obnoxious in the most entertaining possible way possible. The album kicks off with “Shut Me Up” which is exactly what it sounds like, pop-punk attitude mixed with industrial noise and Jimmy Urine yelling “LA LA LA” like a sugar-high toddler having a breakdown. It’s catchy as hell though, and those whip sound effects just add to the whole circus atmosphere.
“1989” and “Straight to Video” both lean into that Rush worship you mentioned, but filtered through MSI’s warped sense of melody. They’re not trying to be prog gods here, they’re taking that technical foundation and covering it in neon paint and glitter. The Tom Sawyer cover is brilliant in how wrong it sounds, like someone fed the original through a Nintendo and a punk rock blender.
Things get proper mental with “You’ll Rebel to Anything” itself. This is MSI at their most biting, basically calling out fake rebellion while being as provocatively obnoxious as possible. Jimmy’s vocals are all over the place, the synths sound like they’re having seizures, and the whole thing feels like a sugar rush mixed with social commentary. Classic stuff.
“What Do They Know?” has that schizophrenic vocal thing going on that makes it sound like an argument between two personalities, while “Stupid MF” is just MSI being MSI, taking the piss out of everything while making you dance to it. “2 Hookers and an Eightball” is exactly as unhinged as the title suggests, all tweaked-out energy and deliberately offensive lyrics that somehow work because they’re so over the top.
“Prom” might be the perfect MSI song, it’s about getting hard at prom set to this bouncy electronic beat that sounds like it belongs at an actual school dance. Only MSI could make teenage hormones sound this ridiculous and catchy at the same time. The album closes with “Bullshit” which is basically their mission statement, everything is bullshit, but you love it anyway, and they’re going to make you dance while they tell you that.
The production is all over the place in the best way possible, sometimes the synths are crystal clear, sometimes everything sounds like it was recorded in a toilet, sometimes there’s random bleeps and bloops that make no sense but somehow fit perfectly. It’s like they threw every electronic sound they could find into a blender with some punk rock attitude and hit puree.
This album captures everything that makes MSI work – they’re not trying to be serious musicians, they’re trying to be the most entertaining train wreck possible. It’s first world problems set to danceable beats, punk attitude with pop sensibilities, and enough ADHD energy to power a small city. They know they’re ridiculous and they lean into it completely.
Is it high art? Hell no. Is it fun? Absolutely. Sometimes you need music that doesn’t take itself seriously, that lets you be silly and obnoxious for 35 minutes. MSI figured out that being annoying can be its own art form if you do it right, and You’ll Rebel to Anything is them doing it very right indeed.