On their new full-length album Echo Palace, Rotterdam-based five-piece Iguana Death Cult convincingly continues the development that we heard on their 2022 Future Monuments 7″ – the psychedelic garage rock of yesteryear has faded into the background, in favor of post-punk with a groovy funk feel. The new album may have originated from the surreal life during the pandemic, but the fascinating music en sharp lyrics fit very well in the zeitgeist in which we ended up afterwards. Jeroen Reek (vocals), Tobias Opschoor (guitar, vocals), Justin Boer (bass), Jimmy de Kok (keys) and Arjen van Opstal (drums) recorded eleven electrifying songs that pleasantly cause Sensory Overload (the title of one of the standout tracks) – saxophonist Benjamin Herman was brought in to add some extra craziness. From staccato guitar riffs to an ultra-tight rhythm section and wistful keyboard melodies, from vocals that sometimes sound like the record player speed is a bit too slow to gang vocals that will do even better in live shows, there’s so much going on that our exploration isn’t done yet.
Echo Palace, self-produced, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Innovative Leisure.
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