Someone Throws A Sandwich At You

Royal Trux “Suburban Junkie Lady”

Royal Trux haven’t made an album since literally half my life ago, but here they are, sounding like no time passed at all since they recorded “Sunshine & Grease” and “Blind Navigator.” But it’s not like they have any choice but to be themselves. Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema’s sound is sui generis; a mutant strain of rock aesthetics so peculiar that they sound more like a hyperbolic description of weird music than any other existing rock band. Everything in “Suburban Junkie Lady” is exaggerated and blown out; the vibe is always scuzzy and bewildered. They lock into a groove, but even that feels like chaos. Hagerty mutters most of his vocal parts while Herrema mostly sounds more like she’s singing along to a record she enjoys on her own in her bedroom than actually fronting a band. It’s hard to tell what they feel about this suburban junkie lady – Hagerty seems a bit removed from her in his observation and bemused by details like someone throwing a sandwich at her, while Herrema seems kinda impressed by her attitude. Maybe because it’s basically her attitude?

Buy it from Amazon.