Tuesday 3 September 2013

Record Review - The Love Junkies

Published in the Shortlist section of the Sydney Morning Herald.


The Love Junkies
MAYBELENE
MGM

There’s certainly no shortage of rock bands these days deliberately eschewing any sense of musicality (it’s criminally un-hip to be virtuosic) or musical experimentation, preferring instead the “bunch of mates… playing rock ‘n’ roll, having a few beers” tag. We don’t want to play stadiums… but if we got there it’d be cool. Of course it would.

Occasionally however, one of these groups rises above this level of passé mediocrity and realises that in order to stand out, it doesn’t hurt to bring a healthy dose of pop to the rock proceedings; a catchy hook, a memorable vocal refrain, a decent repeating riff. Perth-based Love Junkies have done just that with debut LP Maybelene, a short rip through pop-infused, brutal riffage that’s not afraid to stick in your head long after the final note has embedded itself in the sticky carpet.  Single ‘Oxymoron’ and ‘Baby, Come Home’ prove The Love Junkies are masters at this, which bodes well not just for rock ‘n’ roll, but for Australian music in general.
3/5

Samuel J. Fell

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