Super Love Giant - 'Red Medicine'

Musically, ‘Red Medicine’ feels like Side 2 of the Super Love Giant debut album, following on from their previous self-titled EP’s Side 1. Everything here is a logical continuation of their pared-down blues-soused hard rock, but with the ante upped because this is Side 2, the grand finale.


So the EP charges out of the stalls with the fast and impatient ‘Yellow’, showcasing guitarist/singer Sam Boevey’s lyrical abilities (“You only get clean while people scream in the next room, so oblivious to the fact that you’ll be leaving soon”), acerbic and frank in a Morrisey-ish way and slightly at oddswith the lyrical tradition for music as heavy as this. And the record continues with a consistent drip-feed of the two-pieces' subtler capabilities which were there on previous releases but were buried beneath the strong presence of their sum-total noise.


 

A large part of ‘Red Medicines’ discovery factor is the careful production which treats each song as an individual story. So the slow, brooding ‘I’m Worse Than That’ is swathed in reverb giving it an icy tension, whereas the punky lurching title track has a thick coating of fuzz, giving the effect of a swarm of bees setting up home in your inner-ear.


The performances here serve the songs too - in particular the title track is a masterclass in controlled chaos, where the wheels sound ready to fall off at any point but miraculously hold on for the duration. This is in stark contrast to the closing track ‘Toddlers Toy’, which displays their precision musicianship – drummer Jonny Pyke, often the engine room of the pair, takes centre stage for the final few minutes with a dazzling series of fills.

 


With that final track, ‘Red Medicine’ does feel like a satisfactory end to the ball that started rolling with last years' record. Rest assured, it stands alone as a fine piece of rock n’ roll too – their formula is easy to like and is played out with audible enthusiasm. This is recommended listening.

Rich

 

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