After a four-year hiatus, Drunk Mums return with their fourth studio album ‘Beer Baby.’ Known for their raucous and rowdy live shows that took them from America and the UK to the likes of Asia and Oceania as well as supporting Amyl and the Sniffers and Guitar Wolf. Consisting of Jake ‘Dingo’ Doyle and Dean Whitby on vocals and guitars, Adam Ritchie on vocals and bass and Johnny Badlove on vocals and drums, they formed in 2011 and have released three LPs and three EPs, clocking over thirty million streams. Recently releasing the single ‘Livin’ at night’ which songwriter ‘Dingo’ likens the song meaning as “about living to get blotto on the weekends and not caring about your savings because you’ll never afford a house anyway” (which I can get behind) with lyrics that give an attitude which Liam Gallagher would be proud of and guitar that smash together like The Who’s hotel party they show what the music business have been missing in these four years. ‘Beer Baby’ is released prior to Drunk Mums tour the UK in the latter half of March.
From the get-go, ‘New Australia,’ gives a sense of what’s to come with the whirling guitars that sound straight off a Buzzcocks album. The no bullshit attitude is in full throttle with lyrics “You better have fun,” this shows the careless and fun chasing vision they have as a band. ‘Slippin up’ follows a similar theme but sounds similar to ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ or like it could be on an AO advert. This is due to the simplicity and repetitive lyrics. ‘Bet on black’ shows a different approach by bringing the drums more to the forefront before letting the guitar run away with themselves which is similarly seen in ‘Apocalypse’. ‘Saturday’ musically is my favourite song with the collision of drums, bass and guitars creating a wall of sound but doing something different compared to the rest of the album. However, lyrically it is repetitive like the other songs with a conversation call and response.
The saying goes “If it’s not broken don’t fix it” but musically trying something new or to evolve is the whole point of making music. For example, the evolution from ‘Please Please Me’ to ‘Revolver’ or ‘What People Say I Am That’s What Am Not’ to ‘Humbug.’ The album is like a mix between The Hives and Jet but with lyrics that are repetitive and do not really expand on a point like The Ramones. If you have heard one song on the album you have heard them all and if it is something you like it is a good listen but it is not something I would return to.
Drunk Mums: Beer Baby – Out 7th March 2024 (Bachelor Records)
MUMS – LIVIN’ AT NIGHT (youtube.com)
