Photo Credit: Harv Frost
It’s only January and we already have the first important album of the year, as Brighton punks Lambrini Girls release their much anticipated debut album Who Let The Dogs Out. The duo are part of a new wave of punk bands that are springing up around the UK and beyond, touching on some very important subjects on their eleven track album. Produced by Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox and mixed by Seth Manchester, Who Let The Dogs Out has been released through City Slang.
The first thirty seconds of opening track Bad Apple are drum and bass influenced, with a police siren running alongside that is very appropriate indeed: the song is about police corruption, especially around the time of the tragic murder of Sarah Everard a few years ago. It’s a very bold opener, with the remainder of the album continuing in the same direction. The chorus will go down well during the band’s upcoming tour: “Hang the pigs, that hunt your daughters/stop and search, lambs to the slaughter/heavy arms direct commands, protect and serve, point and shoot”. Vocalist and guitarist Phoebe Lunny provides some big ‘rage moments’ during this one, it’s one of the best tracks on the record.
Company Culture continues with even more rage (if that’s even possible!) while Lily Macieira shows off explosive talents on guitar. The song is written around toxic masculinity, with lyrics such as: “Michael I don’t want to suck you off on my lunch break.” This album is definitely not for the faint hearted or easily offended! But that’s the beauty of Lambrini Girls, they don’t hold back and why should they?
One of the early releases from the album is Big Dick Energy, which is almost a lyrical continuation of the previous track and features standout drums. The musical direction of No Homo is very different from most tracks on the album and it works well, with mellower vocals from Lunny. Nothing Tastes As Good As It Feels is written around eating disorders and references an old Kate Moss quote: “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” The lyrics speak for themselves: “Kate Moss gives no fuck that my period has stopped/I wish I was skinny, but I’ll never be enough,” sings Lunny.
Scarcity Is Fake is a 17-second voice over that claims “we live in a capitalist system which seeks to exploit the people and therefore keep the people confused.” We would have liked to hear more of this track. The album springs back to life with Filthy Rich Nepo Baby, a song about children that perhaps benefit from their parental success. The opening lines say it all: “Hugo wants to be a rock star/smashing up five grand guitars/his dad works for Sony.” We love the bass riff running throughout this track, working well alongside the raging vocals of Lunny.
As we move towards the end of the album, Special Different has definite Amy Taylor influences and a thrashing end to the song, while Love was another of the early releases from the album. It’s the last song on the record that stands out as the best on the album, however it’s definitely not for those that don’t like to hear the four letter word that is deemed the most offensive in the English language. Cuntology 101 begins with a dance backbeat and a chorus that is just waiting to be sang back to the stage: “C-U-N-T I’m gonna do what’s best for me, Cunty.” That particular ‘C’ word is mentioned at least thirty times during the song! What an end to an exhilarating thirty minutes of music, we can’t recommend this album enough.
We really do hope that Lambrini Girls play this album in full on their tour, the crowd response should be exceptional. Live shows are where Lunny and Macieira bring the songs to life – their Glastonbury set went off big time, as did their set at Reading & Leeds and the North American leg of the Amyl and the Sniffers tour. The band’s Glasgow Saint Luke’s show will be one of the highlights of my gig year, that’s for sure. If you get a chance to see Lambrini Girls on their April tour then you really should.
10/10
Standout Tracks: Bad Apple, Big Dick Energy, Cuntology 101
For Fans Of: Amyl and the Sniffers, Viagra Boys, HotWax
Written by: Alan Brown
