Austin artists J'cuuzi have been skyrocketing in popularity over the past year thanks to their eccentric approach to live music and performance art. The stage is perfectly set for the group to release their first collection of songs, titled Sludgecontent (stylized SLUDGEcontent), on July 25.

What most people would call an EP, in a recent press release, J'cuuzi is calling "a new comprehensive appetizer sampler listening experience (CASLE), more akin to a doomscroll-themed playlist than a conventional extended play."

Similarly, when speaking of the "band," it may be more accurate to describe J'cuuzi as a shifting ensemble of larger-than-life characters. Swathed in avant-garde style and with the type of energy that could power an entire city, this two- and sometimes three-person troupe equally embraces fashion shoots and mosh pits.

Lest listeners get too intellectual about it, though, the tongue-in-cheek release urges readers to "turn off your brain and turn your limited attention to SLUDGEcontent."

Sludgecontent is made up of five synthy, trippy, danceable, and glam rock tracks.

It's hard not to bop along to the melty psychedelic-meets-pop anthem that opens the EP, "Fame by Death." It is a prime example of J'cuuzi's ability to mix a dark, primordial, and hedonistic sound with something light, playful, and pop-friendly; perfectly put to story in the just-released "Fame by Death" music video. (Link and embed contain flashing images.)

The band follows that explosive opening with "Bad Toy," a song feels like watching a campy horror '80s movie about haunted vibrators — that ends up actually being haunting itself. With Trey Razeldazl's dark, distorted vocals and Gorge Bones' melodic vocal complement, what could have been a ridiculous song (and still is, lyrically) sounds cinematic and cool.

In the first two tracks, we hear a very garbled version of Trey's voice; in the next, the effects are limited for a much clearer delivery. In this way, this song is an honest, slightly scaled-back peek into what the two singers sound like when harmonizing together, which ultimately culminates in utter chaos.

The two tracks that wrap up the EP call other artsy touchstones to mind. "Big Machine" tells the tale of a visit to the mechanic and the dread that ensues. It starts out with more '80s sounds and B-52's cadences, and moves into a beautiful, mournful chorus that echoes grandiose country-western ballads harmonically, if not by any other measure.

It's followed by "How 2 Get Everything You've Always Wanted 4 Free (Forever)," which falls somewhere between Nine Inch Nails' "The Hand that Feeds" and Marilyn Manson's "The Dope Show," with sprinklings of quirky sound effects, plucky guitar riffs, and otherworldly harmonies from Gorge.

Left to right: J'cuuzi members Gorge Bones and Trey Razeldazl.Photo by Vicious Velma

"Releasing this EP feels like turning the last page of a great book’s prologue," writes J'cuuzi in a joint email to CultureMap. "So I guess we’re most excited to see what’s in the next chapter." (The ambiguously penned email assures, "They pretty much share a brain and finish each other's sentences.")

Though this album is a big accomplishment as a whole, Trey and Gorge do have their favorites. For Trey, it's "How 2 Get Everything..." because they started recording it back in 2017 and "since then the song has only increased in relevance in my life." And for Gorge, it's "Bad Toy."

"It was the first time I ever threw my uhh patented songwriting style (where someone tells me their established idea/story for a song and I write something entirely unrelated in every way)," writes Gorge.

Aside from this exciting new EP release, J'cuuzi has a lot to celebrate right now. They were recently named KUTX Artist of the month for July, this weekend they're playing Mohawk's outdoor stage at Hot Summer Nights on Saturday, and in October, they're opening for Viagra Boys and Stereolab as part of Levitation's new mini-festival.

The latter may well be their biggest show yet, and J'cuuzi will definitely show up in full J'cuuzi style: the stage is dressed to look like a cheap apartment with a dusty blue egg chair and a guitar amp on either side of a bedazzled ironing board, and they'll take to it wearing matching handmade couture. Expect over-the-top bulbous proportions and a performance that won't be confined by the stage.

"We are a bit worried for the other bands," J'cuzzi writes. "We are going to try to wrestle them."

Sludgecontent is available for purchase and streaming via major platforms here.