Mutilator Defeated at Last is Thee Oh Sees' first post-hiatus LP to be recorded using the band’s re-staffed touring lineup. It sounds different from the old version of the band, but not that different. In the past, Oh Sees records were made more or less live, the band bashing out the songs in single takes with no or minimal overdubs. Since reformatting the group, Dwyer has become a bit more interested in the studio. As with Drop, this extra polish and attention benefits Mutilator. There are tasteful psychedelic embellishments—synth wooshes, delay trails—and new instrumentation, like electric organ and acoustic guitar. The fuzz and grime have been peeled back a little, leaving room for more density and detail.