Disgraceland, The Orwells Review

After rocketing to infamy from their 2012 album Remember When, The Orwells have been pretty busy. Their debut was a sloppy and Ritalin fuelled story of American suburb life. Songs about encouraging  friends to try illegal substances (All The Cool Kids), death wishes (In My Bed) and school shootings (Hallway Homicide) make Remember When a teenage rebellion classic.  Lead singer Mario Cuomo's performances are Iggy Pop-esque-usually every gig ends up with him naked or making out with the most attractive member of the audience. The Orwells aint nuthing ta f'wit.

So imagine my surprise when the first track of Disgraceland begins with a squeaky clean drum fill then an even cleaner guitar. It has that grimey taste to it, but The Orwells have moved away from the sloppiness. Southern Comfort as a opener was a good idea, Mario isn't pulling any punches in this album it's clear.  Like this brother with the handful of ass, Bad ass shades and a bag full of grass. The Orwells are proper rockstars now and Southern Comfort is the hedonistic anthem to show. Being drunk and high and copping off with people is a recurring theme in Disgraceland. I'm not even complaining because the repetitiveness is offset by furious guitar playing which begs to be danced to. A lot of the time the vocals take a back seat, especially in The Righteous One which is a great example of brilliant playing by The Orwells.

It isn't controversial to say that something in the mind of Cuomo isn't exactly 'right'. In Remember When most people put down the violent imagery to immaturity and fun. Disgraceland isn't exactly what you would call immature. So when you begin to hear lyrics around mid-way through on Gotta Get Down my daddy's got a twelve gauge, I hope I don't find it you get a bit concerned. However, it is one of the stand out songs on the album and the screaming vocals sound as beautiful as Kurt saying that Nature is a whore.

Norman is the antithesis of The Orwells' thrashing guitars and bloody lyrics, it's the horror film in their minds that is played out- complete with High School students hanging themselves. It's uncomfortable and grotesque, but is still fantastic. The last half of the album has not one, but TWO songs about a couple dying. Blood Bubbles and Always N Forever (with the most frustrating motorcycle sound effect ever) are stories about both the characters either killing themselves or dying even grislier. 

Disgraceland is fantastically grim, but do not get it confused with being cold. It is drenched in sunshine and is perfect for the Summer. The content can be a bit much, but we need a few more artists pushing the boundaries for what is really acceptable. Give it a try.

RATING: 10

BEST LINE: MY DADDY'S GOT A TWELVES GAUGE I HOPE I DON'T FIND IT

BEST SONG: WHO NEEDS YOU

BEST PLACE TO LISTEN: SMOKE FILLED GARDENS READY TO REBEL