Lovedrug are back, and they brought their guitars and a few cross words with them. Recorded with Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mew), Lovedrugâs The Sucker Punch Show is every bit the sonic leap forward one would hope for from these arena–leaning indie rockers. Recorded at the $5.5M Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica, Sucker Punch delivers in spades on the big–budget hints inherent in much of the bandâs previous work, providing gigantic tones that span from new heavy rockers to atmospheric art for which the band is known.
This is the next generation of Lovedrug; a neo–melodic–grudge set with twice the mood and ten times the menace. âJust hanging around, just waiting to die, Weâre all suckers in the same damn sucker punch showâ As the above line from lead single âEveryone Needs A Haloâ suggests, Michael Shepard & Co. have a definitive outlook on this the third Lovedrug effort. âEveryone has a role in the sucker punch show, this is just my accounting of it,â states Shepard. âFor me, my road, I'm just caring less and less about self screening and caring more and more about letting people know exactly how I feel.â Thus opening track âLet It All Outâ is both warning and manifesto — an admonition of uninhibited statements to follow. âSucker Punch is about letting go of inhibitions and not allowing your brain to filter the emotions that come naturally,â says bassist Thomas Bragg. âSometimes you gotta let it all outâ The resulting Sucker Punch Show sees Lovedrug at their aggressive best, both in terms of content and musicality.
âHaloâ hits with the ill–tempered fury of a wild animal with a toothache and âThe Dirtiest Queenâ provides perhaps the darkest brooding in the Lovedrug catalog to date. While songs like âOnly Oneâ and âBroken Homeâ deliver Lovedrugâs brand of pop–rock with an edge, tracks such as âBlood Likeâ and âDying Daysâ push to new heights the spacious rhythms and aching vocals that so many have come to love about the band. âNow stare at the ocean while your friends all drown We all need to learn to swimâ With The Sucker Punch Show set for release in North America on October 28th, Lovedrug are now wholly focused on the live shows to come. According to drummer James Childress, âwe conceptualized, wrote and recorded this album from start to finish with the working idea that we would be able to recreate the songs live.â Guitarist Jeremy Gifford agrees. âI canât wait to play these songs live — itâs going to be a true rock experience — just four guys bringing their emotions to the table and letting them spill out all over the audience."
This is the next generation of Lovedrug; a neo–melodic–grudge set with twice the mood and ten times the menace. âJust hanging around, just waiting to die, Weâre all suckers in the same damn sucker punch showâ As the above line from lead single âEveryone Needs A Haloâ suggests, Michael Shepard & Co. have a definitive outlook on this the third Lovedrug effort. âEveryone has a role in the sucker punch show, this is just my accounting of it,â states Shepard. âFor me, my road, I'm just caring less and less about self screening and caring more and more about letting people know exactly how I feel.â Thus opening track âLet It All Outâ is both warning and manifesto — an admonition of uninhibited statements to follow. âSucker Punch is about letting go of inhibitions and not allowing your brain to filter the emotions that come naturally,â says bassist Thomas Bragg. âSometimes you gotta let it all outâ The resulting Sucker Punch Show sees Lovedrug at their aggressive best, both in terms of content and musicality.
âHaloâ hits with the ill–tempered fury of a wild animal with a toothache and âThe Dirtiest Queenâ provides perhaps the darkest brooding in the Lovedrug catalog to date. While songs like âOnly Oneâ and âBroken Homeâ deliver Lovedrugâs brand of pop–rock with an edge, tracks such as âBlood Likeâ and âDying Daysâ push to new heights the spacious rhythms and aching vocals that so many have come to love about the band. âNow stare at the ocean while your friends all drown We all need to learn to swimâ With The Sucker Punch Show set for release in North America on October 28th, Lovedrug are now wholly focused on the live shows to come. According to drummer James Childress, âwe conceptualized, wrote and recorded this album from start to finish with the working idea that we would be able to recreate the songs live.â Guitarist Jeremy Gifford agrees. âI canât wait to play these songs live — itâs going to be a true rock experience — just four guys bringing their emotions to the table and letting them spill out all over the audience."
