Rob’s Album Of The Week: Viagra Boys’ Welfare Jazz

The great equalizer of pressure is approach. It’s evident in music because any new release is subject to scrutiny, especially when the prior one is met with so much acclaim. With that being said, a devil may care attitude and a willingness to incorporate new influences can be the best way to go. Stockholm post-punks Viagra Boys did this with their sophomore full-length, Welfare Jazz, that came out on January 8 via the label Year0001. It’s a stellar follow-up to their 2018 debut LP Street Worms that brings new elements to the table while maintaining a fearless vibe.

I don’t know if they did this on purpose or just to be a parody, but there’s a bit more of a twang with this new release. A few songs have a country vibe, and there’s even a rendition of a duet originally done by the late John Prine and Iris DeMent. It’s interesting to hear a band influenced by rock music from the late ’70s and ’80s honor this style. Then again, vocalist Sebastian Murphy, guitarist Benjamin Vallé, saxophonist Oskar Carls, drummer Tor Sjödén, bassist Henrik Höckert and keyboardist Elias Jungqvist have always seemed to do things their own way. I love it when a band refuses to put themselves in a box and this is what Welfare Jazz does in its entirety.

Is it just me, or is 2020 holding 2021’s beer so far? If you don’t get what I mean, it seems like the…