Rochester, New York has long bred its own brand of caustic heaviness, and Feel Worse—formed in the summer of 2024—are already carrying that tradition forward with a warped grin. Though technically a new band, the members’ creative chemistry goes back decades: guitarist Charlie, bassist Ed, and vocalist/producer Chris “Crif” Golding came directly out of their previous band, CHRMR, which had started to wind down just as these new songs began taking shape.
“The songs we were working on felt a bit different,” Chris tells No Echo. “It was a good starting point for something fresh.” The trio quickly knew they needed a fourth piece, which led to one of the more blunt recruitment stories we’ve heard lately: “We told Jason Leone (Sulaco) that he is now the singer,” Chris laughs. “He said he would think about it, which was funny because we didn’t ask. His involvement was mandatory.”
Fortunately for everyone involved, Jason exceeded the “probationary period.” His vocal approach—and the unsettling soundscapes and melodic textures he builds with keys—helped solidify Feel Worse’s identity. That approach can be heard on This Will Weigh Heavily On Your Annual Performance Appraisal, Feel Worse's recently released debut LP:
Trying to neatly pin down that identity is another story. Chris has been creating music with Charlie since the ’90s, and he admits their influences have piled up into something hard to categorize. “Originally the influences came from our favorite hardcore and metal bands—Lethargy, Snapcase, Time’s Up, Human Remains, Quicksand, Ire… unique stuff that blew us away,” he explains. “That’s what got us in this mess today. We blame those bands.”
Over three decades, the pair reunited multiple times—first in Within, then Burn Everything, then CHRMR, and now Feel Worse—each project mutating into its own strange branch on their family tree. Add in Ed and Jason’s own sensibilities, and the result is what Chris describes as “a bubbling cauldron of irritating noise that thickens when cooled only to be pooped out through a meat grinder and stuffed into musical sausages.”
In simpler terms? Listeners have compared them to Melvins, Converge, Slint, Fugazi, Unsane, KEN mode, and The Jesus Lizard—while others “compare us to a bunch of bullshit, dental work, and a visit to the DMV.”
Feel Worse’s aforementioned debut album, This Will Weigh Heavily On Your Annual Performance Appraisal, marks the band’s first proper statement, recorded by Brian Mason (Atrox Productions) in their jam room. The album’s lyrical content reflects Jason’s knack for turning banal misery into catharsis. “He tends to write about the things that distress him,” Chris says. “Everyday things, like regret from hosting a party or how much he hates the beach. Pain and suffering is all relative, and he has a way of writing lyrics that are easy for the listener to interpret personally.”
The band’s collective age means they’re hesitant to pontificate about the current Rochester scene. “We’re a bit old to comment on any scene,” Chris jokes—but that doesn’t stop them from shouting out the bands they love: Urakka, Crahda, RatKind, Lost in the Sun, Inertia (Buffalo), Sulaco, and even Babayaga. “Slayer,” he adds, presumably with a smirk.
With shows on the horizon and new material already in progress, Feel Worse are moving fast for a band born less than a year ago. And while their sound may resist easy labels, their mission is clear enough. As Chris puts it: “Thank you for the opportunity. We will be playing some shows soon, and we’re already busy writing some new stuff.”
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