Projection
Trifonic, 2021
8/10
The long running Los Angeles outfit Slow Burning Car return with their 5th album, and much like everything they’ve done, it’s an alt-rock, metal and space hybrid that brings in plenty of surprises to their hard hitting yet cautious approach.
“Public Cynic” starts the listen and wastes little time impressing us with its driving rhythm section and calmer moments of sonically charged alt-rock that thumps with a ‘90s energy, and “Lad-Ish Man” follows with some punk nods amid the soaring female vocals as both grit and melody present themselves in absorbing ways.
Further along, the buzzing of “Memoirs Of A Gentleman Ghost” mixes well with the talking and singing of the modern rocker that also hosts a violin, while “The Quantum Mariner” brings spacey synth into the equation as more abrasive drumming enters an anthemic climate. “Seems So Nice” then trims the pace back with a ballad like setting of emotive singing, some psychedelic bouts and plenty of beauty.
Landing near the end is “Meraki”, where the sounds of water flow into Eastern arrangements that are subdued, mesmerizing and recruit plenty of cultured sounds, including a Bouzouki and singing in Greek, and “Transfer Terminal Twelve” exits the listen with some prog-rock indebted into their propulsive formula that builds into a dramatic finish of instrumental prowess.
It’s not hard to spot similarities to Queens Of The Stone Age and Swervedriver here, though, ultimately, Slow Burning Car have been steering their own journey since day one, and the traces of the best days of grunge and early days of punk won’t go unnoticed or unappreciated either.
Travels well with: Electric Peace- You’re Going To Hell; Dizzy Box Nine- Radio Fiction