Wednesday, 19 August 2026

Louse - Buyer's Remorse (Album Review)

Release Date: August 14th 2026. Record Label: Riot Season Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Buyer’s Remorse - Tracklist

1.Best Laid Plans 03:44

2.Buyer's Remorse 02:39

3.Rags And Tatters 03:38

4.The Wastepipe Ripper 02:29

5.Comfort 03:43

6.Legal Loophole 03:01

7.Wheel 02:32

8.Meatslide 03:48

9.The Deer Caller 04:24

10.Potato Diet 03:20


Members


The Captain - Vocals

Septic Pete - Guitar

The King of Sting - Guitar

Uncle Brutus - Guitar

Mister P. - Drums

Dieta Di Patate - Slide Bass


Review


Buyer’s Remorse is the sophomore album from Noise/Sludge/Doom/Stoner Rockers LOUSE who call their music SCUM ROCK and they’re a band I haven’t come across before which is quite surprising since they are from my hometown of Newcastle Upon Tyne. The record itself is a Noise Rock offering with LOUSE adding filthy and highly mean strands of Sludge, Doom, Alt Rock, Psych and Stoner Rock melodies.


Louse do remind me of their fellow Geordie Noisemakers - PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS - though this record has a more warped and abstract Punk Rock energy which feels inspired by the likes of The Melvins and The Hives in the early stages of the record. There’s a gloomy Garage Rock sound that emerges from the seedy catacombs that have echoes of The Stooges, MC5 and even At The Drive-In being felt on tracks such as Best Laid Plans, Buyer’s Remorse and Rags And Tatters.


The sludgy and stripped back sounds have a grim “Kitchen Sink” effect especially with The Captain’s vocals battling against the epic rhythm section from Mister P on Drums and Dieta Di Patate on Slide Bass. Mister P and Dieta Di Patate have a great understanding amongst each other by building up the filthy rhythms from the ground up with the excellent guitar work played by Septic Pete, The King Of Sting and Uncle Brutus. 


As you can tell by their band names, LOUSE don’t take themselves too seriously and have a ton of fun especially with the bleakly charged lyrics which have some extra bite between them. Sometimes the record can go leftfield with disjointed grooves, fractured vocal passages and gloomy experimental noise effects allowing that subtle Noise Rock and Sludge Rock energy to have a killer Punk Rock swagger. 


Other great tracks to check out are: The Wastepipe Ripper, Legal Loophole, Meatslide and The Deer Caller which allows LOUSE to spread their filth ridden and downbeat message to even greater heights with that lo-fi energy allowing screeching guitars to reach massive levels of distorted volume. Buyer’s Remorse is seriously fucked up but you can’t help be swayed and mightly impressed by the sheer filth ridden danger that Louse will put you through. There is some great riffs to fully lose yourself in with that MELVINS influence being put to great use towards the end of the album.


Buyer’s Remorse is perhaps described as a “CULT ODDITY” which manages to fit alongside some of the more impressive Sludge/Noise/Doom Rock bands currently making a name for themselves. I seriously enjoyed this album and it becomes better with each repeated listen. Louse are a great band to discover for yourselves if you like something way more grimy and experimental with that dominant NOISE ROCK theme that will drive you absolutely insane at the same time.


Yeah, Buyer’s Remorse is an absolute slice of RIOTOUS FUN!!!


Superb. End Of.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Riot Season Records for the promo.


Buyer’s Remorse is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Riot Season Records.


Links


BandCamp | Instagram