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.
Pyramid of Health follows on, a hippie health nut trip with an unexpected country drawl that pokes fun at wellness culture. Bog Body evokes that foggy, confused feeling of trying to remember a dream, while Murphy chastises the listener for not knowing the difference between a swamp and a bog.
But among the surrealism, there are moments of sympathetic humanity. You N33d Me, a sonic cross between Amyl and the Sniffers and black midi, is charmingly self-deprecating as Murphy sings “I can bring a type of vibe to the party that nobody likes and makes everybody sad”. He then proceeds to drop some military facts like someone who would, indeed, kill the vibe at a party. The soft piano and intimate lyrics of River King induce whiplash after the ominous end to Best in Show Pt. IV, lacing viagr aboys with surprises just when you think you’ve got a grasp on the album.
In a word, viagr aboys is chaos. It never takes itself too seriously, but also doesn’t shy away from vulnerability. Viagra Boys continue to experiment and push the boundaries of their frenetic, gloriously messy sound, never allowing for a moment of boredom.
