Prick's Theatrical Industrial Punk Is Made for Spooky Season

With Halloween approaching, The Verge is pointing listeners toward an underrated pick for the season: Prick's self-titled debut album, a record that pairs industrial menace with a taste for showmanship.

The project belongs to Kevin McMahon, formerly of the new wave band Lucky Pierre. Trent Reznor was briefly a member of that group, and the two stayed friends. While Reznor was deep in the recording of The Downward Spiral, he lent McMahon some of his production skills. Reznor is credited as producer on just four tracks from the Prick album, but his influence is audible across the whole record.

What sets Prick apart from its more famous cousin is attitude. McMahon plainly cannot suppress his inner theater kid, and that instinct gives the songs a glammy flamboyance reminiscent of T. Rex records. Where Nine Inch Nails leaned toward brooding intensity, Prick leans into the inherent theatricality of goth, treating the genre as a stage show rather than a confessional.

The opener, "Communiqué," sets the tone as a fuzzy blast of simple punk riffs layered with electronic textures. It is a good example of the album's central trick: raw, direct guitar energy dressed up in industrial production and a heavy dose of camp.

That combination is what makes the record a natural fit for spooky season. It has the grime and noise of mid-90s industrial, but it never takes itself too seriously. The result is dark without being dour, and a little ridiculous in the best way, which is exactly the mood many listeners want in October.

For anyone who loves the sound of The Downward Spiral era but wants something looser and more playful, Prick offers a rewarding detour. It also serves as a reminder of how much of the era's best industrial work happened just outside the spotlight, often with Reznor quietly lending a hand.