Every time it feels like post-punk is at risk of growing stale, a band like Viagra Boys comes along to knock you on the head with an experimental sound and downright weird lyrics. The Swedish band have gone above and beyond on their “stupid and simple” sort-of-self-titled fourth album, viagr aboys - cleverly named to keep it out of your spam folder.
There’s no gentle easing in to this fever dream of a record; opener Man Made of Meat launches straight into the strange with its odd, belching delivery and declaration of “I’m subscribed to your mom’s OnlyFans / I spend five bucks a month to get pictures of her flappy giblets”. At first glance, Uno II, named after San Rafael, California-born vocalist Sebastian Murphy’s Italian greyhound, feels smoother than their earlier work. Dig into the lyrics, though, and it holds onto that same oddball humour, recounting trips to the vet told from the perspective of the confused dog himself.
