LOWRIDER ‘Refractions’ LP Review.

Words El Jefe.

Swedish stoner rockers Lowrider have returned from purgatory (once again) to deliver us a brand spanking new LP, Refractions, This is just their second full length release, despite the (sporadic) longevity of the band, with the first LP being Ode To Io released back in 2000.

I first crossed paths with Lowrider via the split release they did with Nebula, and with such a solid showing on that record, I’ve often wondered why and how they managed such a disappearing act, but hey, rock’n’roll. Thank fuck it ain’t an exact science!!

The band give it their all with this release, huge drums, guitars feeding back and fuzzy, and a cool collection of tunes all played like it’s the end of the universe.

The stoner-jazz vibe of ‘Sernanders Krog’ is pretty interesting. This tune caught my ear on my first listen to Refractions and subsequent listens saw it grow on me. Plenty of meat, and more than enough rock action too.

‘Ol’ Mule Pepe’ is some heavy duty, old school stoner stomp, with (all) the ‘muff‘s cranked to 10.

‘Pipe Rider’ wraps things up, an 11-minute opus that slowly but surely creeps up the richter scale to its climatic peak. Almost prog, but still hot’n’heavy and an excellent finale.

Lowrider haven’t strayed far from the early material, perhaps due to the large gaps in their lifespan, and still had some demons to exorcise before they could move on. Given the bands’ history, I wouldn’t wanna lay money on another Lowrider album ever, but Refractions is a solid addition to the heavy genre and should appeal to those who love Kyuss, Fu, Nebula et al. These guys are walking the same damn path!

Lowrider Refractions is out 21 Feb through Blues Funeral Recordings and available now for pre-order HERE.

Lowrider: Site // Bandcamp // Facebook // Instagram.
Blues Funeral Recordings: Site // Facebook.