Album Review: Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons - "Beast"

 

Scary to think that it's now over a decade since Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons first burst on to the scene with the rabid Exercise Your Demons album. Now on their fourth effort, I'm pleased to report that Beast is another good effort to add to their repertoire and sees them keeping the flame first lit by the Cramps and King Kurt many years ago burning.

Essentially, this is the sound of a band playing to their strengths and doing it well right from the teetering drone of Lying In My Bed which kicks things off. From thereon in, it's a full on assault from the swaggering psychobilly of Doin' It and She's An Orgasm through the screaming fury of Not Your Baby to the seasick deathrock indebted smalltown psychosis of Stale and the full on punk assault of Shit. The surprisingly tender but defiant Hey Honey which closes things here is a bit of a surprise curveball as well and shows that these cats are still learning new tricks after four albums.

Puss is on good form here, going from a lurching deathrock groan on Meat and Do Ya Feel Me? to screaming out her venom on the likes of Abuser and Knee Jerk while behind her Jake and Ant blast out the riffs and drumbeat with pinpoint precision as evidenced on the five minute slow-building tension of Beast Will Out. They might not have quite gone on to the heights and plaudits that they arguably should have but it's good to have this very unique band still around raging hard against the dying of the light. Beast is definitely an album well worth checking out.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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