You know you are on to something ace when the list of guest musicians on a track, includes this: Jeremiah Pilbeam – Backing vocals, hand claps, Electric piano, rubber mallet, tambourine, sleigh bells & guitar.
Read that again.
“Rubber Mallet”, “Sleigh Bells”. Ok, so the fella out of Anvil plays a guitar solo with a dildo, but can he play a rubber mallet? Or Sleigh Bells? Course he can’t.
Pilbeam is the producer here, as Slumlord Radio follow up their 2017 “Holy Smokes” single and their wonderful 2015 “Too Pretty For Tijuana” album with this two tracker.
The lead single, “Gonna Be A Riot” is arguably better than all of the above, because it is unhinged. They’ve always sounded like a gang, now they sound like the last gang in town. I mean like you could go to their club house, but you’d best be packing.
Tommy “Capt. Hollywood” Erickson channels Lemmy at all times, but never more than here, and with “Rattlesnake” Matt Claucherty beating his drums like they haven’t paid a gambling debt, this was already special, even before Christian Cooney of Moto rips out a solo from the very depths.
The b-side, though, takes things to another level. From Grand Rapids, Michigan, The Slum boys pay homage to The Stooges with “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. And I know what you’re thinking. So what, I’ve heard this a million times. You have. But rarely sounding this dangerous. Most of the awesome Dirty Americans turn up – I am assuming for a fight – and they harness the energy.
Slumlord Radio are the living proof that if you love (and live) what you do, it sounds amazing. Just know you’d best listen to it – and if you don’t there’s a man with a mallet that wants a word.
Rating 9/10
