Now four albums in, Barren Womb are no strangers to unleashing new music into to the world. But the sheer amount of groove on the Scandinavian punk two-piece’s latest offering, Lizard Lounge, has made listeners’ ears prick up and pay attention.
With the duo citing influences such as the Melvins and Clutch, you could be forgiven for thinking that their brand of heavy music would be more slow-paced and muddy, but in fact what they have created is a record that’s lively, upbeat and has a lot of rhythm.
It isn’t just the uplifting vibe of the album that makes for a pleasant surprise, but also the amount of noise and sheer velocity that just two people can create. From start to finish Lizard Lounge has you either bobbing your head along or giving in to the urge to get up and jump around whatever room you are currently in. The pair offer up a brand of DIY punk which would not be out of place in some larger venues, with a keen sense of melody sprinkled into the chaotic foundation of hardcore.
Something that Barren Womb do incredibly well is keep the listener on their toes. Whilst a lot of bands will write songs in a certain way to fit their style, this two-piece seem to have thrown any rule book out the window in favour of just doing whatever they want.
No two songs on the record sound the same, and the band going from the frantic and almost indie pop sound of ‘Hairy Palms’ to the more drawn-out sludge of ‘Crop Circle Jerk’ in a heartbeat shows how expansive the musical brain of this duo is. Vocalist/guitarist Tony Gonzalez puts in one hell of a performance on this record, switching up his tone from melodic rock ‘n’ roll in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age, to a more raspy punk sound more akin to the likes of Single Mothers.
It is hard to single out specific standouts from this record, as they all have different elements of note, but songs like ‘Smokes, Let’s Go’, ‘Nerve Salad’ and ‘You Do The Meth’ really showcase what a special talent this two piece are and why this record will be getting several spins on this writer’s record player.
Lizard Lounge is out now on Loyal Blood Records. Order here.
Words: Tim Birkbeck
