Wednesday 6 September 2017

Lovely Wife - Problem Rock (EP Review)


Release date: August 06th 2017. Label: Cruel Nature Recordings. Format: Cassette/DD

Problem Rock - Tracklisting

1.Export To Disk 13:14
2.Filth 07:12
3.Ting 05:50

Members

Export To Disk recorded 2014: Bass - Joe Garrick, Guitar - Jon O'Neill, Drums - Rob Woodcock

Filth, Ting recorded 2017: Bass - Joe Garrick, Vocals - James Watts, Drums - Skylar Gill

Review

Lovely Wife are a band from my hometown of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. I've heard a lot of cool things about them. Though I've never experienced them live in concert. Though that may change with the release of their new EP – Problem Rock. A 26 minute blast of distorted droned out sludge/doom/industrial based sounds.

The opening track – Export To Disk – doesn't really have a natural flow or structure compared to other bands. Lovely Wife play a schizophrenic style of Doom/Sludge/Drone kind of sound. They include elements of industrial based noises and the odd experimental post-rock/post-metal style riff. It's purely instrumental with the epic opening track creating a huge fucked up wall of noise that's very hard to describe and perhaps listen to for the more casual listener.

Second track – Filth – at least tries to follow a set structure with Lovely Wife opting for a more Sludge/Doom demonic driven song. The song is still distorted and packed full of experimental noises.

The final track – Ting – carries on the ambient mindset that Filth wisely created. The production can be too lo-fi and understand at times. I know this is a DIY release. This song contains perhaps some of the best moments on the EP. Though it's sadly let down by the soft production held within the song.

Lovely Wife are a very talented bunch of musicians indeed. If Lovely Wife were given the proper platform to perform then they could have the potential to be more well known in the UK Experimental Doom Metal scene. Problem Rock is a very good EP indeed. I definitely do want to hear more from Lovely Wife. Though it has to be on a better sounding record.

Words by Steve Howe

Links: