Who knew the punk had a hillbilly soul? Once the frontman for NYC gutter-punks D Generation, Malin comes into his own with a debut solo effort that sounds more like a stepchild to Steve Earle than Johnny Rotten. Produced by Ryan Adams and including background vocals and guitar by the man himself, as well as harmonies by friend and ex-Hole Melissa Auf der Maur, The Fine Art of Self Destruction runs through 11 tracks of life’s tales as if from a guy who’s seen it first hand. From the opening tale of an indie scenester (“Queen of the Underworld”) to the affecting acoustic guitar-and-piano ballad “Brooklyn,” Malin proves he knows his art. It’s a bit of a career change, but a successful one at that.

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