Review: Viagr aboys by Viagra Boys
Knights in shining post-punk armor, Viagra Boys return to save the day with a dose of genre-bending grounded irony on their fourth album viagr aboys. Possibly the weirdest band to emerge this decade, they continue to defy genre constraints with their unique sound. Their country-adjacent tendencies (returning this time on “Pyramid of Health”) and jazz-influenced arrangements (their signature saxophone now accompanied by flute) is hard to pin down. No genre aptly describes them, nor would you want to.
While one might not be able to define Viagra Boys, you know it when you hear it. Carrying over from their 2022 record Cave World are their signature crunchy snare drums, frontman Sebastian Murphy's distinctive baritone, and those iconic, absurdist lyrics that read more like a sketch-comedy alike to an I Think You Should Leave episode.
As a huge fan of Cave World (it was in my top five albums for the last two years!), the lead single 'Man Made of Meat' is arguably the track most similar to the themes and sensibilities of their last record, excited me. Politically-relevant self-deprecating lyrics + a catchy chorus + a sense of humor = an instant Viagra Boys classic.
However, the band demonstrates impressive restraint in knowing when enough is enough. Hence, the rest of viagr aboys marks a refreshing and sonically innovative departure from their past work, while still building on their established strengths. This record is a welcome innovation on a formula that has proven so successful for this group.
The V Boys evoke industrial elements on the spicy track “Store Policy”. Delicious synths, speeding drums, and pulsing basslines swim underneath Murphy’s signature whack-a-doodle lyrics. Would it really be a Viagra Boys record without a line like “touching myself by the health food shelf”?
While I revel in the sardonic and dry lyricism from frontman Sebastian Murphy, humor and sarcasm can create distance from the artist to their audience. If you had any doubts about Murphy’s ability to dig deep, let this record lay those to rest. The soulful closing track “River King” had me checking my phone to make sure I hadn’t accidentally started playing an old Leonard Cohen song. Meanwhile, “Medicine for Horses” is a whole different beast. A trembling, Win-Butler-esque delivery from Murphy with melancholic plucky keyboards makes for possibly the biggest risk on the record. Cinematic and introspective, the band achieves the tricky balance between sincere and sappy.
On this album rich with one liners (“I subscribed to your mom’s only fans/ I spend $5 a month to get pictures of her flappy giblets”), Viagra Boys emerge victorious as they temper their kooky sense of humor with real-grown up fears. If this is what growing up looks like in the surrealist Viagra Boys universe - finding croutons under futons, harvesting clams, ancient bogs - then sign me up.