by Phil Scarisbrick

Viagra Boys are punks of some sort, sure, but to pigeon hole them is to underestimate them

Whenever you read anything about Viagra Boys, there seems to be an incessant, yet inconsistent tendency to try and pigeon hole them. They’re invariably described as punks, post-punks, satirical punks, Swedish punks, or any other number of sub-genres, new genres or simply made-up genres. While there are certainly sonic and thematic hallmarks that would lead you down a path towards labelling them as some form of punk, it seems there is far more going on than this adornment would have you believe.

Welfare Jazz is the band’s sophomore album, and is a far more complex proposition than may be obvious on the surface. It’s an eclectic blend of influences that feel like they’ve been crowbarred into shape by the Swedish sextet to provide a collection that keeps you glued for its duration. I Feel Alive sounds like Tom Waits gloriously expounding the beauty of life from the inside of a skip, while recent single, Ain’t Nice, has a foot-stomping groove and New Rave-come-Iggy Pop-evoking melody that is uncomfortably fun.

Girls & Boys has the erratically smashed hi-hats prominently driving the mix underneath Sebastian Murphy’s fuzz-drenched bark. Into The Sun is perhaps the strongest song on the record, though, with its whirling bass and synth line providing just enough of a foothold for the album’s best melody. The album’s closing pair of To The Country and In Spite Of Ourselves are also highlights – the former combining the uncomfortable free-jazz of Blackstar with a vocal that goes from an Ian Curtis baritone in the verses to a David Byrne-esque melody-rich chant in the choruses. The latter is a duet that blends country vocals, a melody that is at times not a million miles away from Biz Markie’s magnum opus – Just A Friend – and a touch of previous track’s jazz styling.

This record then isn’t so much a punk record, but an interesting and eclectic mix of influences that have been chopped and sliced and skewed – thrown into the blender – and come out as something that is as distinctive as it is refreshing. Most of all though, it’s just a really fun record to spend time with.

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