***12 years after Hospital Productions released the first Raspberry Bulbs album, the band returns to the label with their most focused offering to date. Gone are the interludes found on their last two albums. This time RB has distilled all their strengths into 11 concise songs. Listeners may be tempted to mention "noise rock" or "post punk" in describing the sound, but RB thinks outside the limits of any genre, and stands in contrast to those whose approach amounts to failed exercises in style. The band spent two years boiling each song down to its essence, while sacrificing none of the power and dynamics found on previous records. Somehow the results are both more metallic and more melodic. The vocals, in particular, are fittingly more venomous this time, with their vitriol aimed at the current narrow-minded, oppressive "underground" landscape. Prepare yourself. Recorded among the ruins of the Belvedere Inn, Stamford New York, in 2023. Digital download code included.
LP $32.95
02/02/2024