The sound on Welfare Jazz may be more of the same glam-phetamine trash disko bomp that made the first record so distinctive ... but there’s something else that’s been added to their arsenal, something that was hiding in plain sight all along.
As a whole, this mesmerising romp through mayhem and carnage will take you on a memorable journey, profound, joyful, spontaneous and bewildering.
Viagra Boys tone down the adrenaline, like they have something else they’re living for now. They’re chasing peace, stability, and a sound mind.
After their 2018 debut, Street Worms: helped them become a powerhouse live act, Welfare Jazz ratchets up the pizzazz.
Their sound is a Tennessee-flavoured, rock’n’rollin’ electro blues, pumped up with grubby distorted bass-end riffing and occasional Krautrock tints. Welfare Jazz pushes this stew into all sorts of shapes and corners.
The beauty of 2018’s Street Worms came through in brilliant lyrical humour whilst being powerfully sad simultaneously. Welfare Jazz is slightly messier in the sense that there are a lot more emotions bleeding from it, but that doesn’t make it a messy album.
The whole record continues to deftly alternate between seismic, spasming punk and silver screen beauty, rounded up with a dose of Americana longing to complete its charm and eclecticism.
On 'Welfare Jazz' the usually hard-hitting Viagra Boys undergo an identity crisis, severe enough to plot a Thoreau-style escape into the woods.
Every song on Welfare Jazz has something about it worth obsessing over or digging deep into.
On their sophomore album, Viagra Boys tell a love story via punk eclecticism.
There’s a lot to unpack, but Welfare Jazz is a smart and rousing listen.
Much like the main character of ‘Welfare Jazz’, Viagra Boys have a deep well of emotional intelligence hidden underneath their aggressively ignorant façade.
While still lighthearted and filled with humour, it's a massive shift from previous releases, both musically and lyrically, with plenty of hints of more to come.
These are powerful, thoughtful songs that stand up to hours of repeated listening, and always raise a smile in the process.
Viagra Boys come off as less as comedic satirists and more as representatives of the very characters they critique, turning inward for a fascinating, though no less manic, follow up.
If 2018 debut ‘Street Worms’ was your party-loving, gobby little brother, ‘Welfare Jazz’ is the well-to-do, country-loving cousin who’s ready to buckle up and not look back.
Viagra Boys have successfully captured a side of the working class that demands empathy, and it’s their strongest statement to date.
There will be no sophomore slump for Viagra Boys. At its best, Welfare Jazz represents an evolutionary step from Street Worms that’s tighter, tougher, and more riotous than what came before.
The subversively sleazy Stockholm post-punk band walks a delicate satirical line between provocation and trolling.
On this album, with their trademark snarls and ferocious contempt, Viagra Boys succeed in rendering the personal political and the mundane absurd.
The story telling is very up front, yet the confidence and attitude never passes into obnoxious, parody of oneself territory. As a result, Welfare Jazz remains a tight effort that hopefully acts as a transition to a richer sonic canvas.
‘Welfare Jazz’ stands as a document of a band that are perhaps more in limbo than they might first appear.
Viagra Boys display enough scope to move their sound along, but they know what to retain: pathos, sardonic humour, and a reminder not to take them too seriously – and to take them as seriously as death.
We still have a lot of the vocal charisma, great production and humour that was present before, but Welfare Jazz just doesn’t hit home in the same way – despite still being a solid record.
The issue here isn’t intent; it’s execution. But when Viagra Boys are completely focused, they’re still fantastic.
An impressive second showing, Viagra Boys have found order in the chaos.
Their return with Welfare Jazz marks a richer sound for the Stockholm six piece: a series of retro skits, broader genre-experimentation, and bolder production from a raft of indie legends have plumped up Viagra Boys’ previously lean song-writing.
It was 2018 when Viagra Boys first saw prominence within the post-punk scene, garnering love from critics and fans alike due to their unique jazz-tinged post-punk sound. Across ‘Welfare Jazz’s’ predecessor, ‘Street Worms’, the band ridiculed many negative virtues that plague modern society such as addiction, fetishes, not having a care in the world about what the future holds for you, and materialism just to name a select few. Jumping from topic to topic one song ... read more
By tackling some new ideas and developing their themes, the Viagra Boys offered us a successful and coherent second album, confirming their promises without falling into the trap. Welfare Jazz demonstrates once again the singularity of the Swedish Post Punk band.
It's finally back to school, a long awaited ringtone. Everyone in line, waiting wisely for what will be made of this new year. And yes, we all know it and it shouldn't be an exception this year, but the beginning of the year is very ... read more
Despite having some excellent moments, 'Welfare Jazz' doesn't really strike me as having much in the way of anything interesting or standout, many of the ideas that the band explore on here aren't fleshed out to their full potential and much of the instrumentation meanders way too much for my liking. I'm not too keen on the vocals either since they come off like a gimmick given the country twang, and most of the songwriting isn't very interesting to me.
It's fun and groovy, at times it reminded me of Ween for some reason.
It's my first Viagra Boys album so I can't really compare it to others but a solid experience, even though it has several skits.
Favs: Ain't Nice (🌟), Into the Sun, Creatures, I Feel Alive, Girls & Boys
It's really fun, but taht's kind of what holds me back from giving this album a lower rating. Whereas the album preeceding this was much more focused, more firey in its execution, this album kinda allows itself to take its time, with some tracks never reaching the heights its set itself off to achieve. It's still a great listen but it sufferes from a few glaring issues bringing it down.
1 | Ain't Nice 3:32 | 81 |
2 | Cold Play 0:31 | 62 |
3 | Toad 3:35 | 78 |
4 | This Old Dog 0:37 | 59 |
5 | Into the Sun 3:58 | 71 |
6 | Creatures 3:32 | 81 |
7 | 6 Shooter 4:50 | 77 |
8 | Best in Show II 0:46 | 58 |
9 | Secret Canine Agent 1:45 | 71 |
10 | I Feel Alive 4:29 | 71 |
11 | Girls & Boys 4:39 | 80 |
12 | To the Country 2:57 | 73 |
13 | In Spite of Ourselves 5:03 feat. Amy Taylor | 69 |
#3 | / | Sound Opinions: Jim DeRogatis |
#17 | / | Norman Records |
#26 | / | Rough Trade (UK) |
#41 | / | The Needle Drop |
#49 | / | musicOMH |
#52 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#53 | / | Louder Than War |
#70 | / | Under the Radar |