Heavy Lungs - All Gas No Breaks (Album Review)

Stream the song whilst you read!

For fans of Idles, John, Gilla Band.

With their first full length release since 2019's EP Measure, Heavy Lungs have returned with probably their strongest material to date! All Gas No Brakes see the band lean in to a few more influences than we are used to seeing from them. It's a heavy punk album with an old school energy and we love it!

Matryoshka is the track that opens up this album. It lures you in with a very exposed intro lead by Danny's vocals which transforms in to a raucous head banger of a track that winds and weaves all over the place. Speaking of head banging, one of the singles from the record is titled Head Tilter. It's one of a few tracks on the record that combine grooves from the likes of Idles with some Gilla Band-esque glitchy noises throughout the verses, all to be tied together by a really big catchy rock chorus that sort of comes out of nowhere, in a good way! Another example of the band stepping in to newer territory is how this track also includes a real trippy psychedelic guitar solo winding through the bridge and outro, a really nice touch! Late To The Party, Dancing Man, Rock Paper Scissors and 2 Hot To Ride showcase far harsher guitar tones and rhythms than we've ever been used to from the Bristolian bunch, whilst Angle Grinder shows some softer and delicate clean guitars that really stand out when you get to them, almost in the style of a band like Shame. I think this in an album which really follows that upward trajectory that the band has been on. It's a more honest release and is just what I think I wanted to hear from the band.

Rating 4/5