Release Date: March 28th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
The Orchids - Tracklisting
1.Set It Off 03:01
2.Daredevil 03:11
3.Shadow Figure 04:21
4.Can I Live 02:54
5.Made For You 03:02
6.Breaking Edge 01:35
7.Green Fuzz 03:29
8.Headache 02:12
9.Fifties Lady 02:23
10.The Rose 05:49
Members:
Rhys Poirier – Vocals/Guitar
Alexis Grant – Drums
Review
The Orchids are a Desert Rock/Stoner Rock/Punk Rock duo playing an unhinged and highly unapologetic style of music where their FUZZ sound has a dirty, scuzzy and seedy edge. Their debut album is quite fast-paced and highly aggressive with The Orchids having their instruments being played at the LOUDEST VOLUME possible. Taking influences from the likes of QOTSA, The White Stripes, KYUSS, Dinosaur Jr, MELVINS and many more from the legendary 1990’s Rock Scene.
The tracks that make up their debut album are loaded with modern day Punk Rock attitude with a killer DIY ethos allowing The Orchids to create a striped back sound where Rhys Poirier feels like an out of control madman with how he delivers his vocals and plays his sublime raucous guitar. Helping Rhys on this musical journey is Alexis Grant on drums where the drums feels like they’re being hit with a fucking sledgehammer throughout.
The songs vary with The Orchids playing a classic style of Desert/Stoner Rock with a heavy reliance on Punk Rock and Garage Rock but everything comes alive when the muscular FUZZ ROCK sound appears that allows the band to have a more destructive quality to their overall sound. Production values are quite raw with The Orchids having that “LESS IS MORE” approach being applied throughout.
This record isn’t flashy or progressive at all with The Orchids relying on PURE RAWK FURY and their superb songwriting style which fully comes into its own on standout tracks such as: Set It Off, Daredevil, Can I Live, Made For You, Headache and The Rose. There’s a subtle Indie Rock flavour to The Orchids way of delivering music which made me feel if the band were around at the start of the millennium they would be touted as one of the next big musical acts to look out for which happened with bands such as The White Stripes and The Strokes but with a Desert Rock/Stoner Rock swagger.
The Orchids debut album is quite a hip sounding record but one that is most definitely part of the Stoner Rock underground scene and with the legendary Branca Studio designing your album cover shows you why The Orchids are WORTH GIVING A DAMN ABOUT.
These are some of the most delicious and heaviest FUZZ ROCK sounds I’ve heard in a long while and on this form The Orchids may have a bright future ahead of them.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
