The Brisbane
quartet are back with their third full length out today. We may have had to
wait a few years to hear what is next from the grunge-punk band, but we were
excited to get our hands on the new album.
Want to know what we thought of
“Hungry Ghost”? Click below…
“We sit around on couches, buying what we think makes us
who we are, like a hungry ghost” (Kelle Lasn book called Culture Jam) Violent Soho muse on Facebook. Fans have had a three year
wait for the follow up to the self-titled 2010 offering, and it would be safe
to say that they won’t be disappointed.
“Dope Calypso” hits you from the off; gritty and raw, the
opening track comes out fighting and soars through your speakers. Songs such as
“Lowbrow” and “In The Aisle” are angry and upbeat, whilst “Covered In Chrome” begins much quieter and less assuming
before picking up in pace with a soaring melodic chorus. This
leads on to the haunting “Saramona Said”
with its mellow, laid back chorus; “Let’s start a fire” is infectious whilst “Fur
Eyes” is beautifully melodic, both are simple and complex in the same breath;
the subtle tinklings showing off a more mature and developed sound. “Gold Coast” throws the
album back into angular punk sounds and “don’t give a s**t attitude”; it is
effortlessly anarchic and shows off the band’s grunge roots. But don’t be
fooled, because the album goes beyond just pure lawlessness, and Violent Soho
manage to pin down a plethora of sounds; self assured they do it in style. “Hungry Ghost” is an eclectic mix of
memorable hooks and melodies. “It was a process of figuring out what
we did like,” bassist Luke explains,
“rather than concentrating on what we used to do. We’ve changed and grown as
people, so the music we were writing needed to reflect that. Whatever excited
us, those are the songs that we went with.”
As the album rears into its final quarter it shows no
signs of slowing down. On “Liars” and “Eightfold” the vocals aren’t silky
smooth and we wouldn’t want them to be either; they are pained and angry, and
leave us wanting more. Title track “Hungry Ghost”, set against the energetic
“Liars” and “Eightfold”, sits in antithesis; it is dark, echoic and painfully
beautiful.
“Hungry
Ghost” may not be an album that is dramatically going to change your perception
of grunge. However, it is undeniably
likeable; it is effortless, honest and intelligent and most importantly it urges
you to want to see the band live. 8/10
“Hungry Ghost” is out now
