Vicious? Indubitably. Sid? How very dare you…
Plunger have crossed paths with Fuzzwalker before and been surprised and impressed [https://tmblr.co/Zc96bk2HtRQeR] so were happy to give their latest single a spin.
Hazy (b/w Behind The Scenes) continues the thread of spit-with-polish we first experienced at their 100 Club show: a jerky cinematic latinate rhythm (think the Clash doing Rock The Tango) driven by fierce guitar and petulant snarling vox bursts into a barrelling adrenaline-rush harmony chorus with a highly catchy hook, for a seriously loud, sweaty-basement-dive moshfest… but lush Spectorish production, a complex quieter breakdown with all manner of things going on at the edge of hearing and a crisp dead stop display a sophistication not normally found in the same postcode as punk.
The accompanying Behind The Scenes ramps up the energy even further in a short, sharp, speed-fuelled sprint through back alleys: jagged jangly garage guitars and belligerent vocals are propelled at a frenetic pace by chain-gun drums, venomous lead lines and frenzied tapping, yet even within its helter-skelter two-and-a-bit-minutes unexpected minor-to-major shifts show a stylish subversion of the ur-thrash form.
If you’re going to be thwacked round the ear’ole with something, better it’s a Gaudier-Brzeska bronze than a length of lead pipe.
Hazy is self-released on 1st July, and will be available to stream on all the usual sites (Spotify, Youtube etc.)