Comfort To Me. Amyl and the Sniffers

To take a recently released song as a comparison. Wolf Alice's 'Play The Greatest Hits', a great punkrock song but also an outlier on 'Blue Weekend'. That is the song to take as a reference and starting point as far as Comfort To Me is concerned. Amyl and the Sniffers go at it from the very first second and keep at it. There's simply no holding back on the album.

Singer Amy Taylor undoubtedly is Australian, she's not hiding it for a second. A little like Courtney Barnett when she decides to rock out loud. For Ms. Barnett these are exceptions. Not for Amyl and the Sniffers. Guitar, bass, drums play full force with Taylor spitting out her lyrics like a fog horn in the mist. She has one voice and uses it to the max.

Comfort To Me is one huge surge of energy. Can I set one song apart from another? Had I been much younger, probably yes. Today? No, this album is one surge of energy that rages over me, with me enjoying every inch of the way. An overdubbed guitar solo that jumps out at me? Simply fantastic. It overtakes all the other instruments and becomes a presence all by itself. Does it matter that I can't really tell one song apart from the other? Of course not, for that Comfort To Me is simply too much fun. This album is all punkrock in the 2020s has to be. A brazen singer, great melodies and loads of energy. Because that word tells it all, energy.

Amyl and the Sniffers are too young to be on the Rum Bar Records label, but would fit there excellently between bands like The Short Fuses and The Dents. (All band members there are getting a second career in their late 40s and older.) For a simple reason. The band has the skills to write interesting songs and the chops to deliver them. The songs are not just noise and anger. Far from. They are great punk songs that make a difference in the genre. Far from commercial. It will be hard to find one on the radio. Each song has its own quality, making Comfort To Me a good album, with a potential to become great.

Wout de Natris