Album Review: Bitch Queens - "Custom Dystopia"

 

We've run into the Bitch Queens a few times in the Singles Bar in the last year or so. Barrelling out of Basel with all the subtlety of a cannonball to the face, their ultra-vicious take on garage rock marks them out as a Swiss version of the Hip Priests with both bands sharing a love of the seedier side of rock 'n' roll and a zero fucks given mentality. Custom Dystopia is no less than their fifth album and given their past record, it has a fair bit to live up to.

Similar to previous release, it's as feral and furious as you'd expect it to be with nods to all the best bands of this genre - the Stooges, Turbonegro, imperial phase Backyard Babies etc. There's plenty of righteous anger on here as well with the likes of Don't Be That Dude basically urging people not to be dicks to each other and the likes of Brainwash Radio, Ignorance Is Bliss and A Good Day To Forget railing against the mundanity of everyday life. Best of all is This Is How We Roll In 2020, a pure howl of frustration against the shitshow that was the lockdown powered along by a riff that practically invites you to snap your neck from excess headbanging.

Like the Chuck Norris Experience album we reviewed a few days ago, the Bitch Queens are very much sticking to what they know with this album (the only slight deviation is the almost funk-rock style bassline on closer Sugar Balls) but when you're on as good a run of form as this, why mess with it? For those who like their rock 'n' roll scuzzy, angry, simple and no-nonsense, this is well worth the time and investment.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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