Reno label Slovenly Recordings’ globe-spanning search for the perfect rip-snortin’ psychedelic garage-punk band has brought interesting bands to our attention before – Acid Baby Jesus (from Greece) and J.C. Satan (from France) – and now you can add Italian trio Sultan Bathery to the list. Their music is a natural fit for the Slovenly roster – reverb-heavy punk stomp, acid fried lyrics, and vocals sung in a thick accent that tells you English in not the band’s first language. What differentiates Sultan Bathery from the rest of the pack is musicianship. Their hearts may be planted in “Louie Louie”-style three-chord trash but these guys know their way around their instruments, ably toying with tempos, time signatures, and tension levels throughout their debut’s twelve songs. “Mirror,” for example, may sound like standard-issue garage rock swagger on the surface, but the bluesy guitar riff and drum accents make it a little more interesting. Likewise, “Purple Moon” throws you for a loop with almost proggy drumwork (Matteo Muser is an impressive sticksman) and what sounds like tape-reversed guitar lines. Craving a new band that combines intensity with innovation? Look no further.
Tracklisting:
1. Satellite
2. Mirror
3. Purple Moon
4. Flowers Of Evil
5. Dead Leaves
6. Spring Of Youth
7. Talk With You
8. On The Run
9. Something Good To Me
10. Where Lights Are Low
11. Nightmare
12. Blue
Midnight To Six 