MUDRAT combines fierce protest anthems with intensely personal storytelling on his debut album, named after the stated reasoning behind proposed anti-protest laws in Victoria, Australia. Fronting a band that slips between shades of punk and metal while he raps and shouts with steely determination, the Melbourne artist is antagonizing in the best sense. “Do you wanna break free?” he asks on “BREAK FREE,” a Rage Against the Machine-esque rocker that outlines growing up with an alcoholic father. “Fuck my enemies,” MUDRAT defiantly repeats on “FME,” before using subsequent tracks to rail against racism and privilege (“I HATE RICH CUNTS”), the hypocrisy of performative activism (“YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT POOR PEOPLE”), and the ongoing tragedy of genocide (“MUD25”). Yet the album’s centerpiece looks inward rather than outward as the artist reckons with the ghost of his father on “FACETOFACE,” calling him both his abuser and former hero before punctuating the dramatic spoken-word and delicate melodies with screamed lyrics and gnashing guitar. It’s the cathartic heart of an album that still manages to foster a sense of hope and perseverance behind so much vented fury.