Dutch five-piece Iguana Death Cult have returned with even more hopped-up absurdity than before. Their new album Nude Casino, which follows their 2017 self-released debut album The First Stirrings of Hideous Insect Life, is a quest to wriggle out of life’s bitter clutches with the maximum possible levels of fun and debauchery. While their debut mixed speedy garage punk with steady psych and adroit post-punk, Nude Casino sees them embrace their funkier side—they even dip their toes into New Wave and disco. “Carnal Beat Machine” is a disco punk number for the ages, and “Half Frysian” is a krautrock meets Talking Heads ripper—musically saucy and lyrically anxious. While the album masquerades as a dancefloor filler and moshpit starter, their lyrics are bursting at the seams.
Frontman Jeroen Reek presents himself as a neurotic mess, and Nude Casino is his wide array of responses to such neuroses—total breakdown, wild nights out, wacky dreams, seclusion and even imagining himself in liquid form. Nude Casino may be full of surreal imagery, but the album’s mercurial happenings couldn’t be more realistic.
Dutch rockers Iguana Death Cult have unveiled their new album Nude Casino via Innovative Leisure. Nude Casino follows their 2017 self-released debut album The First Stirrings of Hideous Insect Life. “Liquify” is an ode to morphing states of matter in pursuit of transcendence, appreciation of life and rejection of demoralizing monotony. With a carousel of outlandish and frisky guitar tones, Iguana Death Cult curate something absurd and sportive, yet illuminating.”To liquify is what you need to do whenever you feel stuck and tired of your own shape,” the band says. “Take some time to observe and just enjoy being. Get rid of your solid state and let the spirit take over.
Pinky Pinky have good gut instincts. During an era of limitless distractions,societal pressures and sonic trends, the three best friends are focused on being happy and blissfully on the outside of all that noise. The trio grew up together in Los Angeles and there’s a shared understanding of what makes them all tick. Together with her punk cohorts Anastasia Sanchez (vocalist/ drummer, 20), guitarist Isabelle Fields (19), and bassist Eva Chambers (19) have a clear understanding that Pinky Pinky’s modus operandi is in not overthinking their decisions. You can hear that on their debut album, ‘Turkey Dinner’ due on Innovative Leisure. It follows their two prior EPs, most recently 2018’s ‘Hot Tears’. Their first full-length, however, is even freer than their previous efforts. It’s a patchwork quilt of garage rock and oddball indie. It’s rooted in classic bass, drums, guitar, but it’s bolstered by the perspectives of a trio of LA youths writing about their everyday observations, anxieties and passions.
For instance, “My Friend Sean” is a young fantasy about the dreamiest boy in class, “Mystery Sedan” is an LA story about a car being the only thing there in times of distress, “Lady Dancer” is about a stripper at a bikini bar in Los Feliz. When lead lyricist Sanchez met Chambers in the girls’ locker room in High School they knew that they’d be in a band together (Chambers and Fields had already met in Middle School). All three of them had always dabbled in bands. Originally born in New York but moving to LA during childhood, Chambers began life in a band with her three older sisters, playing keys. She picked up a bass at the age of 13 after their endeavors had died a death. Fields, on the other hand, trained as a violinist but rebelled and taught herself guitar from the age of 12, while rearing herself on the Sex Pistols and riot grrrl bands.
Sanchez’s father put sticks in her hands as a little girl. She was a prodigy in classical violin but also wanted to get back to the sheer pleasure of playing and so canned the anxiety-ridden music studies for her DIY drumming. She became a singer by necessity for Pinky Pinky, referring back to her love of Fiona Apple and even Heart for vocal chops. PinkyPinky itself had a few iterations before settling on its three core members. “We were really trying to be punk at first then psychedelic then blues,” recalls Fields. “Finally we got to a point where we knew we didn’t need to focus on just one thing. Growing up you think you only should listen to one type of music but we got to a certain age and realized we don’t need to do that.”
During their High School years they flew beneath the radar. “Nobody cared I was in a band,” says Field. Their first gig was at the MOCA museum in Downtown. To date it’s the most nervous they’ve ever been. “I’d still be scared to do that,” laughs Sanchez, admitting to almost having a full-on panic attack due to the swathes of cool teenagers that turned up to watch them. Only recently have they hired a booking agent after already building a solid reputation on the LA scene hustling by themselves. When they played Dave Grohl’s inaugural CalJam festival in 2017 they didn’t even have a manager. “I got a call from someone who works with Dave Grohl: ‘Dave really likes your band’,” recalls Sanchez. “And I was laughing like, ‘Weird? But cool?! It was a little
surreal’.”
“It took a long time for our EPs to come out,” explains Chambers. “And by the time they did we’d grown a lot.” Indeed, by the time this album arrives it’ll be the most accurate representation of where Pinky Pinky is currently at live onstage and off it. They aimed to make a live-sounding record that didn’t feel too shiny in its production. As a result, ‘Turkey Dinner’ is unpretentious, raw and unpredictably zany.
Released on California’s Innovative Leisure label, you are expecting the album that is going to be influenced by the sounds of 60s. Sometimes those expectations can limit a band. With America’s Velvet Glory, I don’t feel that way at all. If anything, it gave the band a focus from which they branched out from there.
Born out of the vision of Lucas Fitzsimons, The Molochs first effort on Innovative Leisure is a real gem. If you grew up listening to classic rock as a teenager, you’ll hear some of the defining bands of your youth – The Stones, The Byrds, Velvet Underground, to name a few.
The enjoyment of the album is that, in spite of their influences all coming from a specific era, the album never gets repetitive. They dabble in psych rock (Charlie’s Lips, Beggar’s Banquet-era Stones (That’s The Trouble With You) and a tune that reminds me of The Butterfield Blues Band (No More Cryin’).
This is a great album, yet you feel like Fitzsimons has got so much more to give. With the band being able to take their influences and really turn them into special, I’m already looking forward to their new album.
The Fat Angel Sings 