When I saw Norwegian noisemakers Death By Unga Bunga live on (and off) stage sometime after they released their wantlist-worthy Pineapple Pizza LP (2016), the fact that there were only a handful of people in attendance didn’t stop them from giving it their all. That attitude pays off, because the combination of solid songs and passionate performances has earned them a loyal following that will only grow with this new album, which aptly encapsulates their sound and shows in the title Raw Muscular Power. Its ten tracks should be seen as a second session of rock ’n’ roll therapy for the modern masculine meltdown, as was deployed on their previous long-player Heavy Male Insecurity (2021)—I wrote the first sentence above before I noticed that my previous review also referred to that live experience, which only underscores how impressive it must have been.
This record is again a powerful and energetic mix of garage rock, power pop and punk, but the new sound is wilder and rawer—also dumber, in their own words—and it surprises with guest contributions from Mike Krol (shouting on Therapy) and Haley Shae of Sløtface (on the Paul Stanley tribute Starchild), and with a song in their native language (Ring meg hvis du trenger en venn). Big riffs and just the right amount of chaos, which should appeal to fans of Sam Coffey And The Iron Lungs, Jeff the Brotherhood, Thin Lizzy, Wyldlife and Audacity.
Raw Muscular Power is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Jansen Records.