Holy Moly!

Blues Pills returned to public view with late-winter single Proud Woman, penned by powerhouse vocalist Elin Larsson as a kick-off to their third studio album, Holy Moly! Issued to coincide with International Womens Day, its an anthem of empowerment delivered with unruly fervor and fire-breathing energy. More rootsy than anything on 2016s neo-psych breakthrough Lady in Gold, the track signified a back-to-basics approach, one that Blues Pills engages through most of these 11 tracks. When guitarist Dorian Sorriaux amiably left the band in 2018, founder/bassist Zack Anderson moved over into his role and it made sense to reconsider their roots. They hired bassist Andre Kvarnstrom as drummer Kristoffer Schanders rhythm section partner. Holy Moly! was cut at the bands countryside recording studio in Narke, Sweden with Larsson, Anderson, and Kvarnstrom all co-producing. The set was mixed by veteran engineer Andrew Scheps. More than previous studio outings, Holy Moly! comes closest to resembling Blues Pills live attack. It is greasy, loose, and immediate; its fiery and tuneful, blazing with searing guitar solos, thudding kick drums, and filthy bass throb. There is a profoundly musical finesse offered here that comes from working stages large and small. Low Road is a furious exercise in blues-rock, with Andersons potent riff delivered by an overdriven wah-wah pedal. Larsson soars above the low-end power of the rhythm section. After an irritating intro of radio-dial static, Schander and Anderson power the molten flow surrounding Larsson in Rhythm of the Blood. Its hooky refrain re-centers the riff as the tempo rages. Kiss My Past Goodbye weds sludgy blues-rock atop a funky refrain, with Larsson delivering her most soulful wail on the set as Schanders rolling snare channels the attack of Cheap Tricks Bun E. Carlos. Wishin I’d Known is a sensual yet sad power ballad that intersects the best moments from Peter Greens Albatross, Bob Dylans I Shall Be Released, and Etta James Id Rather Go Blind. Andersons bluesy picking fills, flows, and curls alongside Larssons sweet, multi-tracked chorale refrain. Bye Bye Birdie commences as a slow-simmering electric blues. It cracks wide open after the bridge, roaring with crunchy power riffs and Larssons high-pitched wail that rises above the maelstrom as Schander lays out his best John Bonham on the kit. The sense of abjection in Song from a Mourning Dove commences with fingerpicked guitars and brushed cymbals. But Anderson ups the ante by channeling Pink Floyd in the bridge and Robin Trower in his labyrinthine solo; in the aftermath, the band swells and it becomes a swaggering soul-blues with Larsson committing herself totally. Holy Moly! isn’t perfect; its meld of songs could have been sequenced better -- the second half is far too weighted to favor ballads. So much so, in fact, that the poignant closer, Longest Lasting Friend, is almost lost in the shuffle despite its arresting quality. Thats a small complaint, however, Holy Moly! is strong, relentlessly creative, and restlessly self-assured in its aspirations. ~ Thom Jurek