Even the Wild West was dragged into the 21st Century, by the iron horse. Similarly, this country-lovin’ quartet have evolved from debut album ‘Hokum’. There’s still a mix of of psychobilly and Hank Williams, most notably on opener ‘Cry Cry’ while ‘God Bless the Queen’ is perhaps, from its title, punk in all but name as frontman Hugh McLachlan comes across at times as a hellfire preacher, perhaps channelling the spirit of Cramps frontman Lux Interior. Across its 11 tracks, ‘Outskirts’ progresses from its garage rock roots as the female harmonies come to the fore. ‘Here It Comes’ has a stripped-down, Shangri Las sound while closer ‘Brutal Stain’ is similarly crying out for a big Spector-esque production number, but the back-to-basics sound fits in nicely with the band’s rough-and-ready DIY ethic. In lieu of any high-faloutin’ studio remixes, catch them live, or play this album loud.
(This article originally appeared in the Portsmouth View)