A full album from Lunch!

Back in the beginning of 2014, I raved about an EP from a post-punk band out of Portland called Lunch. Generally speaking, I don't review a lot of post-punk stuff. But when I hear something truly great, I am more than happy to make exceptions. Lunch is one of those bands that never fails to blow me away. So here we go again!

What's impressed me about Lunch's new album is that it's quite a bit different from the band's previous output. With Let Us Have Madness Openly (great title!), Lunch delivers a full-length debut reminiscent of classic albums from Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure, and Chameleons. The sound is goth-leaning mid-'80s UK post-punk all the way - right down to the chillingly exquisite guitar work and haunting bass lines. And while Lunch is hardly the only group of the present day to explore this particular set of influences, it's been a long time since I've heard a band do it this well. The songwriting, musicianship, and production are absolutely bang-on. Truly, any of these tracks could be slipped into regular rotation on SiriusXM First Wave without anyone suspecting a thing. "Pouring Light" is the next best thing to discovering a never-before-heard Joy Division song. And you can still hear Lunch's punk roots informing the shorter song lengths and nervous tics of tracks like "Bad Cut". This is that rare post-punk album good enough to make me want to wear black and embrace gloom. It's out now on Mass Media Records and will be available soon in Europe on the always dependable Taken By Surprise label. Check it out!

 
-L.R.

http://lunchpdx.bandcamp.com/album/let-us-have-madness-openly 
https://www.facebook.com/lunchpdx 
https://www.facebook.com/massmediarecords 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/TAKEN-BY-SURPRISE-RECORDS/171760112965