Bristol’s smashing thrashers Heavy Lungs have got themselves a mantra ahead of their second album, the follow-up to last year’s debut All Gas No Brakes.
“Write fast. Play fast. Wear earplugs.”
Yep, that says it all and those six words could happily save us the next 600, if there wasn’t so much to add, and I would say that as well as wearing earplugs, then my advise would be to also look after your pets whilst listening, as every time I put this record on, my pet Dachshund runs and hides in his bed, it’s one to be heard and enjoyed at a volume.
It was recorded in just 10 days in their hometown and the band themselves describe the record as one for “those who enjoy big riffs, and have just under a half hour free in their hectic, work-hard, play-hard schedules”. And they are definitely not outstaying their welcome with 11 songs in just 29 minutes.
The album starts as it means to go on with the furious opener ‘Yes Chef’, which hurtles the album into being at a frenetic pace that they keep in place for the first (almost) third of the album, the opening quartet also the home to lead single Hives-esque (more of them later) ‘Get Out’, with it’s old-school punk chorus which the rest of the song crumbles around woozily and the glorious shout-along of the title track, with it’s somehow clearer sounding vocal and sparser guitars, the roll of the drums illuminating the screaming of the one word title. This level of energy surely can’t be kept up one would think, and lo and behold, one would think correctly.
For on ‘Into The Fire’, they are happy to slow things down and let themselves breathe, it’s low, moody vocal stretching the song further, taking it past the four minute mark, so different to the sharply delivered bullets that have gone before, but in its own way even more disarming, a real outlier on the album.
Vocalist Danny Nedelko will be forever synonymous with a certain demographic as the by-name for love, peace and unity, but in his day job, he’s quite the one for screaming and shouting, but the vocal never sounds forced or ever less than sincere, and surrounded as he is with quite the band, they have come up with a far more cohesive album than the messy-in-parts feel of their first record, a sentiment they agree with, calling it as they do, “Our best record yet. It is, without a doubt, the most Heavy Lungs record there is.”
Now, I hate to say I told you so but ‘Self Portrait’ is another track that brings to mind a certain Swedish combo, Heavy Lungs bear some comparison with The Hives, they both have a faultless joie de vivre and give the impression that they couldn’t care less whether you like them or not, because they are the ones having all the fun, as they are quick prove with the last two tracks.
“Mr. Famous” is a commercial garage-pop corker, with Nedelko bemoaning (with tongue firmly in cheek) “I want to be famous already. This is boring!” with a catchy call and response chorus, like Jack White would write if only he had the slight semblance of a sense of humour, before “Life’s A Buffet”, with it’s ‘Rottweiler-by- IDLES’ feel, ends things on the same energetic, frenetic high that we started with all those half-hour ago.
It’s the perfect calling card of a second album, a progression but not the finished article, and it will be interesting to know where they head next. They know they are not deep, Radiohead they are not, but Heavy Lungs are a fun half hour spent, worthy of your attention, just what is needed at this moment in time.
