If a monologue from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh about DMT doesn’t sell you on an album, then perhaps Warmduscher’s fifth outing isn’t for you. But if you are in the market for a bit of maximalist surrealism, then look no further.
Welsh ably gets us acclimatised to the London post-punks’ transcendent storytelling, with his words quickly descending into a brilliant, funk-propelled oddity of a record. Their signature frenetic energy reaches its peak with Out Of Body, where discordant riffs jerk and vocalist Clams Baker Jr. poses as a ringmaster.
Its face-melting chorus crunches through the gears and Warmduscher are evidently at their best yet, jagging back against the more inert ‘At the Hotspot’.
But not only does ‘Too Cold To Hold’ have everything that its predecessor was lacking sonically, it’s also tighter and more cohesive thematically. It’s more than just a fever dream.
Fashion Week tackles status and and the rice paper facade of societal hierarchy, while the punchy Top Shelf claws for coping mechanisms and quick, sexy dopamine hits for class climbers, its grasping all the more fervent thanks to twitching tambourines, screaming saxophones, and Baker Jr.’s overbearing vocals.
Elsewhere, a soulful feature from Lianne La Havas lights up Body Shock, while Coucou Chloe’s alluring vocals on Cleopatras add in detail that Warmduscher can’t achieve on their own. Weeds In Your Garden is the comedown — it has all the energy of a dive bar in the middle of nowhere on a Tuesday at noon. There’s seemingly nothing left to do but let the couch absorb you before doing it all over again.
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
