A
very late entry at number 20, Highly
Suspect’s second album is a rip-roaring ride of blues-tinged rock. It’s a record that manages the impressive
feat of feeling grimy and catching the essence of raw live performance, while
at the same time sounding produced and potentially stadium filling. They’re getting a huge amount of buzz and
have bagged some high-profile support slots, so the signs are that they’re only
going one way. On this evidence they’d
deserve it. Yes, they have ridiculously
styled hair and, as a result, look, in some photos, like a 2010s era Bros tribute band. And, yes, Royal Blood have recently been doing something quite similar to
this, but doing it better. Nonetheless, this is fun from start to finish: no
bad tracks and lots to enjoy. And a key
USP for Highly Suspect is their use
of lead guitar. I miss really good
guitar solos and lead guitar riffs in this breed of straight ahead blues-rock. Highly
Suspect have no fear of noodling.
Overall, while there’s no wheel reinvention going on here, Mister Asylum sure rocks.
sample track: Lost