Viagra Boys “Street Worms”

It seems that recently there has been a string of bands who are being hailed as bringing a modern punk sound. To be honest, the likes of Idles and Sleaford Mob have left us relatively unimpressed. Viagra Boys have come along with a similar line of press and resultant expectation. So, do they actually deliver?

From opener “Down In The Basement”, it seems immediately obvious that it’s a definite yes. The song itself is the kind of raucous start to the album that we just love. It’s really hard to pigeon hole the band’s sound as, in some ways, it’s all over the place. “Slow Learner” is a mix of electro sounds that also has a 70’s vibe but with an eighties feel. Whilst “Just Like You” is a brooding and menacing song. It should be a bit of a mess but instead sounds brilliant.

None of that is to say that the band don’t know their way around a tune. “Sports” is probably the best Iggy Pop song not actually released by the great man himself. Together with the brilliant rock cacophony of “Shrimp Shack” and “Frogstrap” these are the songs that we’d expect to get picked up by music stations like 6Music (with some lyric editing!).

“Worms” offers up a slight respite as it takes a slower, darker tone and has a very Nick Cave feel to it. Fittingly the album then ends with the intense electro rock beat of “Amphetanarchy”, a title that feels very apt for this track and indeed the whole album.

This certainly isn’t an easy listening, background music type album. It’s an album that will challenge your musical senses. Like the original punk sound there is a raucous and experimental nature to the sounds. It can, at times, make for ‘difficult’ listening as your brain tries to cope with the intense sound. It’s an album that will grab you and intrigue you. It certainly sounds like something new, which is pretty rare these days. Being both unique and inspiring, it’s a release you must check out.