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RAZORCAKE
#145 (US) March 2025
Listen:
you might think this is about to get hammered because the genre doesn’t
fit in with us narrow-minded punkers, right? It’s kinda Southern boogie
rock mixed with a touch of New York glam. I fucking love Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker…
hell, even the Tennessee River Crooks. I can get with the Dolls and Hanoi Rocks…
so it ain’t a genre thing. This record from Canadian blokes who look the
part with the denims and ’staches straight sucks. The production is so
fucking perfect you can eat your dinner off it, the piano tinkles are so bright
they hurt my eyes. The thing about classic Southern rock was that it had grit,
some dirt. Those old fuckers drank whiskey and did tons of coke. This lot is
so squeaky clean they make the Bay City Rollers look like Slayer. This is a
fucking aural horror show. Packaging is nice, tho. Think I’ll do a line
of coke off it. (TB)
greennoiserecords.com (US) Sep 2024 Friday-night barroom Texas R&B shuffling across the wooden floor and brought through the decades when bands like the Kinks, Stones, Byrds, Bobby Fuller, Dolls, NRBQ, T. Rex, Free, Faces, and ones on the Stiff Records roster were yawling and swaggering into the studios and across stages...this band from Canada just nailing it again, this new album like the previous without ever sounding redundant, the grooves chock full of good times, the melancholy rising its head just to get knocked down. Fire up the V-8 and kick back the bucket seats, crank this and close your eyes or kick up your heels and forget about everything that happened in the past four decades. Bring me back, Dangereens.(mw)
rpmonline.co.uk (UK) Aug 2024 The band Dangereens came to my attention back in 2021 with their mighty fine debut long player ‘Tough Luck’. “Hanoi Rocks meets The Georgia Satellites jamming in a smoky bar with The Rolling Stones” is how I described the debut long player from this Montreal based 5 piece. And I’m happy to report that with the surprise release of their sophomore album ‘Chic’, not much has changed in the Dangereens camp. With the cool swagger of the Stones, the trashiness of The Dolls and the countrified twang of Tom Petty, Hugo Chartrand and his band return with a 13-track sophomore album that warms to the soul from the first digital drop of the needle. It all kicks off with ‘Fly By Nighter’, a 70’s glam rock stomp of an opener, with sleazy Faster Pussycat style low slung riffs, sneering vocalisin’ courtesy of main man Hugo Chartrand, and there’s even some cowbell thrown in for good measure. The country twang of ‘Death On Two Wheels’ is a welcome addition and builds nicely, Tom Petty meets The Stones for the win. Three tracks in and ‘Kingdom Of White Lies’ shows singer and main songwriter Hugo’s knack for a catchy tune. A 50’s rock n’ roll feel to this with boogie-woogie piano stabs. I mean, I’m pretty much sold already, The Dangereens didn’t have much to prove in my eyes (or ears) and they are holding up to the word ‘sophomore’ so far. The band take a deep breath and take things down with ‘Walk On Water, a laid-back tune that evokes ‘Black and Blue’ era Stones, as twin guitars fight for low down licks over a lazy but tight-ass rhythm section. In a similar vein, ‘Any Day Now’ sounds like it coulda come from the Ju Ju Hounds album sessions, did they give Izzy or Rick Richard’s a call for this one, I wonder? The band records in analogue with minimal takes and there’s a lot to be said for that approach to recording a rock n’ roll record. ‘Chic’ just sounds like a classic 70’s record before you’ve even hit side 2. Talking of side 2, we’ll let the music do the talking, but a special mention goes out to the fantastic ‘Chlorine’ in all its boogie-woogie, glam glory and what a killer bass line! They don’t make ’em like anymore. That my friends is a strong tune with an overly catchy chorus. Elsewhere, with handclaps, twin guitars and a definite glam stomp, ‘Friday Night’ outdoes Tuk Smith in the T Rex meets Thin Lizzy meets Bryan Adams groover stakes. The title ‘Hallelujah’ suggests a rousing chorus to sing from the rooftops and Hugo and the boys deliver in spades. 13 tracks in 40 minutes leaves enough space on one side of a C90 to squeeze on a couple of tracks from their debut EP for good measure if anyone still does that sorta thing. Good times don’t go out of style and Dangereens have plenty to go around. I’ll give you one piece of advice, if you have even a smattering of interest in this band, head over to Alien Snatch Records Bandcamp page and order this bad boy on old school vinyl before it sells out, tell them RPM sent ya and we demand a UK Tour quick sharpish. ‘Chic’ could be my favourite album of the year and is certainly essential listening.
addtowantlist.com (NL) July 2024 While listening to Chic, the second LP by Canadian rock-‘n’-rollers Dangereens, two things become immediately clear: One, this band is the real deal. Two, these guys were born five decades too late. Then again, this is not really news. At Add To Wantlist, we are fans of the band, and their 2020 debut Tough Luck made both my and Dennis’ year-end lists. I described that record as “Dangereens channel their inner Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson to create an album that is full-on sleazy glam rock ‘n’ roll.” The follow-up dials down the Replacements comparison — it’s still there but more subtle. It’s like the band learned some new tricks and dove even deeper in the classics in their record collections. This is a throwback rock-‘n’-roll record that mixes Stones-esque rock, glam rock, and power pop, capturing everything great about rock-‘n’-roll before the ’90s kicked in. What makes Dangereens such a great band is that none of their music feels ironic. Their songs are crafted, trimmed, and cut to maximize fun and minimize extra baggage while still sounding extremely vibrant and loose. Let’s dive into a few standout tracks. The huge chorus of the glam-rockin’ Fly By Nighter makes you want to tear off the sleeves of your denim jacket. Death On Two Wheels takes you right to a sweaty bar show where you’re having the best time. Any Day Now shows how much pop sensibility Dangereens have and that their talent isn’t limited to loud rock-‘n’-roll. If there’s any knock against Dangereens, it’s that they do not have a cool band logo you could scribble on your notebook. I love how it’s 2024 and there are multiple bands trying and succeeding to capture not just the spirit but also the songwriting and sound of a time when most of us had yet to be born or were too young to experience it. I’d count The Lemon Twigs and Uni Boys among those bands, even though they are all reviving different corners of rock-‘n’-roll history. Like those bands, Dangereens are firing on all cylinders, holding nothing back.Chic is out now on Alien Snatch!, who simultaneously released that killer record from fellow Canadians Real Rejects. Who says lightning can’t hit twice, eh? (Niek)
rpmonline.co.uk (UK) Feb 2021 Montreal-based good time rock ‘n’ rollers Dangereens came to my attention late last year by chance, on an Amazon playlist. I don’t even remember the song that made my ears prick up, I just remember looking at my phone, clocking the band name and praying I remembered it by the time I got home. I did, I listened to everything they had released that night and purchased their debut album ‘Tough Luck’ without a second thought. Two singles and an EP released digitally, plus this 12-track album are all we have so far, but that will do me for now. But hell, I still don’t get how these boys slipped under our radar. Led by singer/songwriter Hugo Chartrand, this 5-piece combo take us back to a time when hair was long, trousers were flared and doctors smoked as much as rock stars! It’s a cool mash-up of foot stompin’, 70’s glam, honky-tonk boogies, and garage rock n’ roll. If I were to throw band names in your direction, then I’d have to say this is prime Hanoi Rocks meets The Georgia Satellites, Jammin’ in a smoky bar with The Rolling Stones. Yes, it’s that good bruthas and sistas.They got the look too. Skinny frames wrapped in skinny jeans; microphone stands draped in scarves and guitars slung from the knees. I mean, just look at the cover art…. that’s rock n’ roll debauchery right there, and I’m glad to say Dangereens sound as good as they look. Opener and first single ‘Streets Of Doom’ is a frantic, fuzzy blast of energy. Full of sonically seductive licks, cool as you like Keef styled riffs and Hugo Chartrand’s laid-back drawl. It’s all held together by a pumping rhythm section. This band plays it like they mean it for sure. ‘Thieves’ melds the cool of New York punk with the edginess of UK punk and adds the danger of prime Guns n’ Roses. An ace mid-section takes the song to a different place for a moment before going off on a solo section to finish. In every song, there are little snatches of stuff you know you’ve heard before, but can’t quite place. It’s like Dangereens are teasing you their influences one bar at a time and goading you into guessing. And if you do guess, they’ll just play it harder and faster and deliver you another winner. The chorus in ‘Twelve Below Zero’ is familiar and that riff in ‘Love Jive’ is pilfered for sure. I can literally hear the singer snigger as he teases another line. The boogie-woogie blues cuts are mighty and memorable. In ‘Hearse Driving Blonde’ they have captured the Englishness of mid 70’s Radio 1, I absolutely love this! The honky-tonk vibes of ‘Microwave Boogie’ sits well, channeling The Faces to perfection. And ‘Catpurse Blues’ is Joe Jackson jamming with The Stones, glorious power-pop with more doo-wops that you can shake a tambourine at. Yet, Dangereens save their ace in the hole to sign things off. ‘(Bye Bye) Little Uptown Girl’ is a killer album closer. It’s got sax appeal and a tinkling of the ivories. It’s got killer backing vocals and a face-melting solo to boot. And the first time you hear it, it will sound like it’s been in your brain forever…and maybe it has. It’s weird, but these songs sound like they’ve always been in my collection, and that my friends is the sign of a future classic album. Not since Scandinavian legends, Diamond Dogs has any band channeled this style of rock n’ roll so well, and for that, I commend Dangereens in all that they do. In an ideal world, this band would be destined for greatness. Who knows what the future holds for rock n’ roll, but one thing’s for sure, ‘Tough Luck’ is the finest debut album I’ve heard in a very long time. Don’t let Canada’s finest new export slip under your radar!
Strutter Magazine (NL) NOV 2020 Out of Montreal, Canada comes DANGEREENS and their debut album Tough luck sounds like we went back to the early 1970s when Rock and Roll was about combining elements of Glamrock, Honky-Tonk Boogie Rock, Blues, 70s Hardrock, Garage Rock and a tiny bit of Southern Rock (Love jive) into an exciting uptempo rocking style. Nowadays this kind of underground mixture of rockstyles is mostly in the underground movement possible, but DANGEREENS could easily score a hit with one of their 12 songs that can be found on the beautiful looking vinyl record I received. They are a bunch of young musicians whose fathers were probably not even born around 1973! Nevertheless, DANGEREENS sound like we're almost 50 years back in time and they do it really well, coming with a full blown record of potential classic rocksongs in the future. It's a pity they can't perform live right now, because I am sure they will go down very well! The line-up consists of Hugo Chartrand - Vocals, rhythm guitar, Felix Brisson - Lead guitar, backup vocals, Myles Morin - Bass, backup vocals and Yanick Berthiaume - Drums, piano, organ, percussion, backup vocals. Capturing the sound of early/mid 1970s Rock and Roll is quite hard, because this is the time between British Glamrock and 1977 Punkrock, where there was quite some improvisations and experimenting with all kinds of past rockstyles. The result is usually sounding like a harder edged version of ROLLING STONES, and that's what DANGEREENS is also doing here, but they sound so authentic, it's like we are really back in the year 1973! The best songs on the album are Thieves (uptempo classic early to mid 1970s Glamrock a la THE NEW YORK DOLLS and HANOI ROCKS, with a bit of Rock and Roll a la HERMAN BROOD & HIS WILD ROMANCE), Microwave boogie (uptempo slightly more melodic rocking piece, like THE SMALL FACES meets a tiny bit of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN), the superb Twelve below zero (an almost Powerpop ish tune with catchy melodies), Worried mind (punky uptempo Garage Rock like THE BOYS could have sounded a few years later and in fact they did when one of their members was in a band called THE HOLLYWOOD BRATS) and the sensational soul injected Powerpop/Garage-rocker Nomadic step (like IGGY POP doing a song together with JOE JACKSON and JOOLS HOLLAND). DANGEREENS are a band to watch out for in the future, because after the pandemic, this is one of those bands that live will get your head rocking for sure during a gig or festival performance. In the meantime check out their fantastic soon-to-become classic rockalbum! This beauty is available through ALIEN SNATCH! (8.6/10)
Classic Rock Magazine (UK) Oct 2020 DANGEREENS: A PERFECT ROCK'N'ROLL RECORD - Montreal's premier glam-slammers return with another dose of classic honky-tonkin', blouse-wearing, foot-stomping late-night action. Influences and inspirations are fairly simple and thoroughly classic - Stones, T.Rex, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Hanoi Rocks, The Kinks, you get the drill pretty quick - but it's all in the delivery. Dangereens swivel their hips and wet their lips with such effortless style that it's kinda jaw-dropping, really. They sound like they were fucking born playing Chuck Berry riffs and wrapping scarves around their mic stands. The songwriting chops are on full glorious display as well, with easy-driving jivers like Hearse Driving Blonde and Booboo perfectly complimenting full-on Dolls-y stompers like Streets Of Doom and 1003. If rock'n'roll's glory days are behind us, nobody told these dudes. Or if they did they just laughed in their face and ripped out another majestic solo. This one is it, man. Album of the year, if you're the type who actually knows what's up. For all intents and purposes it's a perfect rock'n'roll record. 9/10
Classic Rock Magazine (UK) Oct 2020 Anyone seeking a giddy, carefree reminder of the good old days (if by the good old days you mean 1973 with the New York Dolls, T.Rex and the Stones on heavy rotation) could do a hell of a lot worse than to check out this track from these Canadian renegade boogie maestros. Glam, distorted and sugared enough to be mega-catchy (but spiky enough to avoid actual nausea), Streets Of Doom is a frenetic, glitter-booted burst of decadence, dancing and dirt - all raw Duracell bunny guitars and louche vocals. They describe themselves as "The most elegantly decadent RNR unit of the 21st century", which sounds about right to us.
loudersound.com
(UK) OCT 2020
Streets of Doom Video: An all-boozing, all-partying rock’n’roll
band piloting their own plane, in a storm? What could possibly go wrong?! OK
everything could go wrong, but it makes a fitting accompaniment to the Canadian
noiseniks’ cocktail of punkoid rock’n’roll, sleaze and cheerful
debauchery. At points it made us think of The Only Ones’ Another Girl
Another Planet, if the Stones and New York Dolls had joined in for a jam. Nice.
maximumrocknroll.com (US) July 2020 Jingly jangly piano! Jingly jangly guitar! Jingly jangly trumpet and sax! This is some sharp and full-bodied rock and/or roll from Montreal, which seems to have a never-ending supply of great art seeping out from it. This is the kind of rock that you may initially be struck with the inclination to say “Hey! They’re ripping off…” and then realize you can’t actually pick the band. It sounds familiar, but that’s because this collection of musicians is just that good. There’s some glam, some garage, some power pop, and a whole lot of frantic energy. The first line of the album is “Here I am,” and from that point on, you’ll feel like you’re on a musical journey with a very showy guide. Check out “Streets of Doom,” for a foot-tappin’, booty shakin’ sampler of the glory. (RH)
greennoiserecords.com (US) July 2020 The dirty sweet sounds of Dangereens, the latest long-player from Canada's "most eleganlty decadent RNR unit of the 21st century," a barrel of barroom R&B spiked with shot of champagne and a mason jar of hillbilly mountain dew, the 1950s (Chuck, Bo, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers) shot through the heart of 1960s and 1970s (Kinks, the Stones, the Saints, the Box Tops, Stiff Records, T. Rex, Allman Brothers, Free, Rory Gallagher, the Faces) and coming out the other side as its own brew of rock 'n roll (and helping reveal where it all came from--the juke joints of places like Atlanta, Louisiana, Memphis and Texas to the dive bars of the Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston and L.A., anywhere the great tree of the Great Migrations injected the city with Black Music (mw)
fasterandlouderblog.blogspot.com (USA) June 2020 Well here we've got another great release from Alien Snatch Records. And you know I wouldn't have expected anything less! Dangereens hail from Montreal and have kind of a different sound for Alien Snatch. Hell, they've got kind of a different sound, period! And that's what I'm especially digging about this group. You can't quite put Dangereens into any obvious category. At first listen, you think maybe they're into the sleazy glam rock thing. But over the course of their debut album Tough Luck, they touch on everything from rhythm & blues to '70s jam rock to boogie woogie to rockabilly. When was the last time I compared a band to Mungo Jerry? "Streets of Doom" makes me think of Eternally Yours era Saints, but not quite. "Hearse Driving Boogie" channels Dave Edmunds via The Replacements. "Twelve Below Zero" sounds a little like a lost deep cut from The Kinks. You could slot "Love Jive" into any oldies station's nightly '70s block and fool almost everyone into thinking it was genuine AM gold. "(Bye Bye) Little Uptown Girl" is a an R & B rocker as righteous and rousing as anything the J. Geils Band ever did. I'm not always a fan of piano, sax, and trumpets in rock and roll. But holy cow, does this band ever pull it off! Hugo Chartrand has got legit star presence on vocals, and Felix Brisson on lead guitar can play like a motherfucker! Dangereens describe themselves as "elegantly decadent rock and roll". That could not be more spot-on! The musicianship and production on this record are about as professional as it gets. But first and foremost, Chartrand writes appealing songs that are well-suited to the effortless cool he exudes as a performer. If you favor more straight-forward glam rock, I recommend the band's new single "Lucky In Love". But I think the full album really gives you the best feel for what makes Dangereens a special band. Has anyone noticed that three of the last four Alien Snatch releases were by Canadian bands? Daniel knows what's up. (Josh Rutlegde)
OX (GER) #177 DEC 2024 Bereits das 2020er Debüt der Pop-Punker aus Montreal, Quebec hat einen vorzüglichen Eindruck hinterlassen und der nun endlich vorliegende Nachfolger kann daran nahtlos anknüpfen. Das Vinyl im „chic“en Klappcover (mit innen abgedruckten Lyrics) zeigt eine hervorragend eingespielte Truppe, die mit beeindruckendem Verständnis für den „Catalog of cool“ schlafwandlerisch durch die Höhepunkte von Garage/Rock’n’Roll sowie Powerpop/Punkrock taumeln. Dass sie dabei mit müheloser Leichtigkeit ihren starken traditionsbewussten Originalkompositionen ihren eigenen unverwechselbaren Stempel aufdrücken können, zeichnet sie aus. Dabei zitieren sie Chuck Berry- Riffs, verwandeln diese mit Rückgriff auf NEW YORK DOLLS und SLADE in nihilistische Glamrock-Hymnen, sind aber auch okay mit den ROLLING STONES der frühen 1970er und selbst THIN LIZZY lassen sich als Ideengeber ausmachen. Leider, und das ist das einzige Manko, ist die gesangliche Performance gelegentlich etwas schwach auf der Brust, den Songs täte etwas mehr Charakterzeichnung im Ausdruck gut. (8/10) (GH)
OX (GER) #153 DEC 2020 Mit den Glamrock-Delinquenten aus Montreal hat sich das Alien Snatch-Label einen richtig dicken Fisch aus dem Teich geangelt. Ein brandheißes Quintett, das genau da weitermacht, wo den NEW YORK DOLLS unter McLarens Fuchtel die Laune verging. Die fünf Kanadier brettern in hemmungsloser Euphorie durch die zwölf Smash-Hits ihres neuen Albums, und es bleibt nicht eine Sekunde des Zweifelns, dass sie ihre Lektion in der Glitterrock-Schule mit Bravour abgeschlossen haben. SLADE sind hier ebenso wie KISS ein unüberhörbarer Einfluss, der Boogie eines Marc Bolan ist nicht weniger wichtig als die klassische Rock’n’Roll-Gitarrenarbeit eines Chuck Berry. Gleich der furiose Opener „Streets of doom“ ist mehr als nur eine kleine Reverenz an die Dolls, und mit dem Honky-Tonk-Piano und rotzigem Einsatz von Sax und Trompeten kommt hier das pure Feeling der Frühsiebziger-Stones rüber. Ein Album wie ein Wurmloch in den Rock-Kosmos des Jahres 1974, authentisch, leidenschaftlich und laut. (8/10)(GH)
manierenversagen.de (GER) May 2020 Power Pop Glam Rock aus Montreal. Klingt so stark nach 70ern, dass man den verrauchten Konzertsaal schmecken und das Treibhausgas aus den leeren Dosen Haarspray riechen kann. Als man noch sorgenfrei mit Blei in den Autos fuhr und Heroin 4 Mark 50 kostete, sind bereits die Ideen für Songs wie „1003“ oder „Love Jive“ entstanden und haben die letzten 40 Jahre in den floralen Tapeten unter Nikotinschichten überlebt, um nun von den talentierten DANGEREENS abgekratzt und endlich in Musik gegossen zu werden. Das Album erschien gestern bei den sympathischen Berlinern von Alien Snatch Records. Ein bisschen Klavier, hin und wieder Saxophon und viel Gitarre. Rock n‘ Roll, wie ihn Deine Eltern gehört haben. Ich würde das ja kaufen, aber ich hab es schon! (A)
VOIX DE GARAGE June 2020 Premier album pour ce quintet de Montréal, le fait que ce soit sur Alien Snatch! ça fait forcément posé les oreilles dessus avec beaucoup d’intérêt ! Et la première écoute révèle un groupe de grand talent et à l’aise dans pas mal de registres différents ! Mais avec toujours l’esprit ‘n’Roll !!!! Manifestement ils aiment le Glam Rock, les Stones (période Exile), les cuivres, le Rhythm’n’Blues, le pure Rock’n’Roll, le Boogie, et même ne sont pas réfractaire au Funk ! Voici 12 chansons délicatement composées, et troussées avec distinction! Tout en restant dans des limites ‘raisonnables’ les Dangereens ne se refusent pas de beaux arrangements, mais ne sombrent pas dans l’esbroufe, ni les délires de zicos! Nous voici en présence de 12 chansons qu’on croiraient sortie de la manche de Joe Jackson, ou Willy Deville jouées avec l’esprit du Glam Rock le plus sexy et luxuriant ! Ça donne la pêche et ça célèbre la joie de vivre et l’exultation corporelle !!! Putain que c’est bon ! Les Dangereens ne jouent pas sur un seul tempo ni sur un seul registre d’émotions, varient les plaisirs et se la donnent bien quand les chansons l’exigent ! Le piano bien bastringue R’n’R est un des atout de ce disque, comme les ouh ouh disséminés judicieusement et généreusement… ou encore ces cuivres pertinents et percutants ! Oh putain que ça fait du bien un album comme ça ! Cette machine sert à tuer tous les ronchons ! (BT)
DIRTY ROCK (ES) Nov 2024 dirtyrock.info (ES) Este pasado verano los canadienses Dangereens lanzaron su segundo trabajo titulado «Chic». El quinteo vuelve a lanzar otras trece canciones festivas cargadas de toques glam-rock chulesco y canalla como ya lo hicieran dos años atrás en su debut con «Tough Luck«, pero esta vez sin sección de vientos.Un magnífico disco de rock’n’roll de manal de Dangereens en el que te percatarás que has estado escuchando estas canciones toda tu vida. «Chic»es un trailer cuesta abajo y desbocado a lo TRex/Slade que recorre las calles de la perdición de Mungo Jerry/Dave Edmunds/Mott The Hoopl el rock and roll cincuentero como una máquina de discos stoniana, un piano martillando y muchísimas guitarras descargando. Más de una docena de canciones envueltos en tonos crudos, estridentes pero dulces. El resultado es una obra caracterizada por un sonido vintage pero pertinente que trae extrañas sensaciones comodidad donde se deja escuchar guitarrazos y ecos a lo Pete Townshend y Rick Parfitt.Dangereens no inventan nada pero logran embotellar magistralmente el rock n roll y, básicamente, animarte de inmediato. Nada de pastiche, el corazón está aquí en 40 minutos, orgulloso garante de una llama que nos gusta creer eterna. Rock’n’roll altamente disfrutable.
EL GIRADISCOS June 2020 Hubo un tiempo en que el rock'n'roll significaba algo, donde las bandas, todas y cada una de ellas, querían ser estrellas, en que la groupies eran algo más que unas niñas más preocupadas de subir una foto a Instagram que de irse de copas, o quizás algo más, con el cantante de la banda o con el sudoroso y animalado batería. Una época en la que el autotune no era la excusa perfecta. Y no es que ese sentimiento haya desaparecido. Simplemente no es el objeto deseado de la inanición infracultural dominante que, incluso, manipula el lenguaje. La nueva normalidad la llaman, y no, no estoy hablando de política, que solo es un síntoma más. Ahí están los otrora festivales de referencia claudicando de forma lastimosa al empuje de la mediocridad. "New normal" dicen para ocultar la vergüenza de la elevación de la ignorancia como cabeza de cartel. Dangereens son canadienses, de Montreal concretamente. Formados en 2017 con el embrión compuesto por Hugo Chartrand (composiciones, voz y guitarra) y Félix Brisson (guitarra) publicaron un EP en el que canciones como "Blacklight City" y "She's So Fine" (cuando una banda compone una canción que se llama así deja claras sus intenciones) apuntaban el camino, sin trampa ni cartón. Con la incorporación de Charles Duval (guitarra), Jordan Pichette (bajo eléctrico) y Olivier Cormier (batería) han conseguido la estabilidad necesaria para editar un primer larga duración que asiente definitivamente su propuesta "setenterorevivalista", de pantalones de lamé, laca y lápiz de labios. "Streets Of Doom", callejera como su nombre indica, chulesca, rodeada de humo, y apoyada en uno de esos riffs infalibles, deja paso a "Thieves", donde el rock' n' roll más glamouroso (de glam) se apodera de los sentidos, de los sentidos de pelo largo y cintura caída, y configuran una dupla de apertura realmente espectacular. El rock más emparentado con el country, country acelerado, de "Hearse Drivin Blond" y, más adelante, de "Love Jive", se asemejan a esas canciones que te pudieras encontrar en las gasolineras perdidas de cualquier interestatal americana allá por aquellos tiempos en que cualquier sueño de libertad parecía al alcance de cualquiera. "Microwave Boogie" es de lo más Faces que te puedas echar a la cara, desde la introducción, y en todo su desarrollo, el influjo del Stewart se hace presente en la desgarrada voz de Chartrand y en ese su particular homenaje al pelo largo y al atractivo sexual. Tan es así que parece una revisión del "Twistin' The Night Away" de Sam Cooke reinterpretado por el escocés. "Twelve Below Zero" ahonda aún más si cabe en esa senda con las notas del piano del sexto hombre, Yanick Berthiaume, en un tiempo medio de libro y una referencia incluso vocal al Ray Davies de los setenta, a ese de las incursiones teatrales de mediados de esa década. Es obligado, de nuevo, situarse en el contexto musical de aquella época, porque "Worried Man" y "Cat Purse" vuelven a recrear el sentido de las tres notas básicas del genuino Glam rock, ese que hasta hace bien poco defendían bandas como los desparecidos Biters y que estaría más cercano a Bowie que a T. Rex para entendernos. "Booboo" y su predecesora "1003" vuelven a apuntar certeramente a bares con olor a nicotina y con perfume a despreocupación, sentimientos ahora prohibidos y que, inevitablemente, están en el origen de que canciones como estás, que solo aspiran a mover la cabeza y levantar la copa, encuentren ahora su refugio en el underground canalla. Qué cosas, antes eras canalla porque eras underground, y ahora eres underground porque eres canalla. La libertad a través del rock´n´roll. "Nomadic Steps" es la canción más negra del disco, no ya solo por ese estribillo de vientos souleros extraídos de la Stax, sino por su aproximación al baile desenfrenado y a la invitación a cantarlos a voz en grito. Apabullante por momentos. Y si de cantar coros se trata, "Bye Bye Little Uptown Girl" se lleva la palma, el R&B más festivo y bailable con el que quizás puedas llegar a ser telonero en la penúltima gira de los Stones a modo de unos renacidos J.Geils Band. "Tough Luck" es un disco de rock'n'roll, ni más ni menos, de canciones atractivas, bien grabado y bien resuelto, de sudor, de emociones primarias y estimulantes, de bar de carretera, de giras en busca del contacto humano, de macarras de buen corazón, atractivo, festivo, de chicas a las que arrebatarles el corazón, a la antigua usanza, o no, porque... ¿desde cuándo a los sábados por la noche en los bares de barrio se les ha puesto fecha de caducidad?. Que no te engañen con la mascarilla.(SCAR PD)