On their fourth studio album, Viagra Boys are about as subtle as a chainsaw — and as noisy as one too. The Swedish post-punk ensemble has never shied away from the rowdier side of the musical world, but on viagr aboys, they don’t merely flirt with the grime — they douse themselves in it. The result is lead vocalist Sebastian Murphy cosplaying a rascal, squealing about the plight of the average 20-something and poking at a society that shapes such pungent zillenial dread.
Viagra Boys have always had something to say through less-than-graceful mannerisms. But their latest release differs in its (relative) step back from political messaging. In a press release, Murphy expands further.
“The whole political thing was exhausting,” Murphy said. “This is like a self-titled album but a bit simple and stupid — because that’s how I am.”
Clearly, the band has taken a more introspective approach in their latest release. This is especially evident in tracks such as “Medicine for Horses,” a gentle and oddly pretty tonal shift from the aggressive evisceration patterned throughout the rest of the album. Instead of hollering about the woes of capitalism, Murphy laments — he laments his fantasies of the American West and North American plains; he laments about barreling a car into a wall and his one true love. Twinkling synths are sandwiched between warbling guitar notes and Murphy’s destructive yearning. It’s an intimacy unlike anything else in Viagra Boys’ repertoire.
But this newfound intimacy does not suggest viagr aboys is apolitical — far from it. When Viagra Boys do say something political, they broadcast it through a wicked, rollicking megaphone. The most effective instance of this on viagr aboys is “Pyramid of Health.” Coated in a Lou Reed-esque drawl, Murphy sings “But if I follow seven easy steps / I might avoid my death / The pyramid of health.” It’s a sardonic yet powerful critique on modern consumption and diet culture. Here, Murphy embodies the cowboy he dreams of being. Sensationalist wellness culture is the wild, wild West he so desperately seeks to corral.
Between the quiet power of “Medicine for Horses” and the dusty efficiency of “Pyramid of Health,” one begins to wonder if Viagra Boys are better off stripping back on the rest of the album’s tracks as well. Unfortunately, that question remains unanswered as the remainder of the album consists of the same aggressive barreling that has characterized so much of their career. In some moments, it’s effective, and results in a digestible album that goes down quick and easy. In others, it is borderline obnoxious. After the gorgeous “Medicine for Horses,” listeners are immediately assaulted by the pitchy, autotuned baby-goblin intro that does not seem to serve “Waterboy” in any way. Viagra Boys can’t seem to keep a good thing going; the back end of the album similarly collapses into mediocrity, especially in light of the album’s strong start. “River King” is particularly forgettable and highly ill-suited as a closer despite its general melodic prettiness. The cracks in the album revolve around this very quality of heavy-handedness, compounded by a vague, almost vacant nature, which results in Viagra Boys conjuring ghosts because they hardly have anything else to say.
viagr aboys is a crude foray into guts and grime, both internal and external. A far cry from their previous works, it’s masturbatory in the way only a self-titled can be (albeit a slashed-up, dicey take on the self-title) — especially one that aims to strip back layers of political commentary to instead dig deeper inside. These introspective moments yield varying degrees of success. Sometimes, it’s a beautiful memento and a much-needed tonal respite, but there’s something artificially ornamental about this autographic deep-dive — introspection born out of boredom with politics rather than a true desire to look within. Despite all Viagra Boys’ costuming and posturing, the album revels in the absurdist intimacy of a meta zillennial nightmare. Clearly, the emphasis on the zillennial plight is an attempt at their realest work yet, but for the time being, all Viagra Boys really accomplish is sounding dirty.
Daily Arts Writer Amaya Choudhury can be reached at amayach@umich.edu.
