Jacuzzi Boys - Ping Pong

Album number four from Jacuzzi Boys finds them tripping out as well as rocking out in the fashion you'll expect from their efforts on Glazin' etc. 'Zoo' has a spaced-out vibe and elongated structure which places a temporary brake on the pace of the dozen songs of Ping Pong although not in a detrimental way. 'Gamma' too has a soft passage around its halfway point, bringing to mind some of the poppier tunes the Hard-Ons came out with in years gone by. 

Speaking of soundalikes 'Seventeen' at times recalls Wire's 'I Am The Fly' during the verses whilst the repeated refrain of the title will no doubt have you drawing further comparisons.

'Strange Exchange' is a Jacuzzi Boys classic, one which will have the crowd going mad at shows. Production-wise it's a tease with its cleanliness as you know it'll be dirtier and amped up on stage but then that's just another reason to go and see the band when they take the Ping Pong show on the road. 

Closing out with the six and a half minute 'Tip Of My Tongue-Edge Of My Brain' the album ends back in that tripped-out zone, making for a nicely progressive journey from the trademark sweetly thrashy opener that is 'Luck Blade'. Jacuzzi Boys have clearly been on a bit of a journey themselves & whatever it is that the trio have soaked up along the way it's all over this standout release.