Noisy garage punk band with whiny screaming. I’m a bit prejudiced because of my love of bats, but I thoroughly enjoyed this album. With each song, you get jolted with a different style of fast and upbeat noise. I can’t decide what my favorite track is. I loved the funky intro into the heavy-ass chaos in “Ideal Specimen,” as well as the build-up in “Bathouse” where you’re just hit with a wall of sound that catapults you through a void.
Debut record from Sweden’s BATHOUSE, featuring ten noise rock pounders, drenched in feedback and fuzz. The tracks blast with tinny guitars, blown-out distorted bass, and that familiar AmRep-inspired crunch. The shouted vocals and fairly traditional rock structures place this in pleasant company with MCLUSKY and PART CHIMP. Through the filth and slime, there are some melodic vocal lines and major key chord progressions that have one dirty shoe in garage rock (maybe even grunge) territory. “Hell” sounds like a lost NIRVANA In Utero B-side with a downtempo refrain of “I bore you / You know I adore you,” while “Ghostly Figurine” has some “la la la la’s” in the mix. These anthems of frustration aren’t breaking any new ground, but they are definitely worth a listen on your way to that job you hate.
