Your favourite Scottish band loves Sucioperro. The Ayrshire trio have made firm name for themselves through touring the UK with some of the most influential names in modern underground post hardcore and have gained major respect in the eyes of my lovely homeland's biggest names, being a regular namedrop in interviews with Twin Atlantic and Biffy Clyro. But while those two have found themselves scaling new heights, the Ayr boys are still an underground force. But if small clubs are the place for the kind of explosive performances displayed on their latest effort Fused then we really can't complain.
On reflection of Fused, there's actually a good chance that the band had a similar thought to the one I had at the end of my introduction because the songs written for the album were made to be played in tiny rooms. The album is a sufficient collection of dirty rock and roll songs played heavy. From the pounce in opener River of Blood to the blast of What a Fucking Champ, the higher emphasis of downtuned riffs and basslines from frontman JP Reid and Stewart Chown serve as a crucial tool in not only making the band's efforts heavier than before but adding a genuine sense of brutality. And with the sheer bluntness and directness from Reid in repeating the phrase "What a fucking chump" over and over again and outpouring his fullest emotion on Discipline Office, the band manage to unleash their brutality in a clearer way than many of the more aimless names in deathcore have managed to.
The increase of heaviness and brutality on this release is focused on in some detail even coming into the lighter moments, with the prominence of Chown's bass on Glass Cable. However, the bands reputation of begin an alt rock band with pleasant alt rock tunes is effortlessly upheld across the album as well. There's the melodic delicacy of Rabbits in Boxes, the albums shot of having a ballad-like song which upholds Reid's vocal tones from the album's heavier offerings and still causes them to translate in a more delicate style. There's even some radio friendly indie rock in the form of the album's title track, however the calmness of the song is a refreshing feature following the storm of riffs and emotion before the album emerges into the trippy dream inducing You Should Get Some Sleep, which sees the band performing in a way that brings their instruction to the listener. It's a soothing way to finish an album of grand filth.
Who knows if "grand filth" serves as an appealing album description? I think in the base of Fused it works very well. Sucioperro have looked more at the idea of making a dirty rock and roll album free of polished production that will manage to unleash it's grimy riffs and basslines in intimate venues and create the perfect storm of mental gig viewers and they've finally created the music for it on this album. It displays the same kind of step up into heavier territory that anyone who heard Bloc Party's Four a few months ago will have experienced. And even amongst this extra face shredding, there's room for absorbing melodies that reflect their earlier work for people to fall in love with. It's with this considered that it's little wonder that your favourite Scottish band loves Sucioperro. They're our countries main source of real rock and roll.
Sucioperro's Fused is out now via Medals for Everyone.