Album Review: Archie Bronson Outfit - Wild Crush

There's nothing wrong with only being able to do one thing, as long as you do it well. Four years on from the release of their lauded LP Coconut, Archie Bronson Outfit have returned with Wild Crush. Filled to the brim with roaring riffs, ripping guitar solos and heavy distortion, the fourth long-player from the English act is a successful production of the kind of psychedelic blues-rock we've come to expect from the group.
Recording for the first time without founding member Dorian Hobday, the remaining duo of Sam Windett and Arp Cleveland have enlisted the services of Kristian Robinson as a live collaborator on production and analogue synthesiser duties. Long-time friend of the band Duke Garwood also provides his baritone sax to five of the nine tracks on the record, giving Wild Crush a vibrancy and distinction lacking in earlier Archie Bronson Outfit works.
Opener and second single Two Doves On A Lake is brilliant – it's loud, and full of heavy, reverberating electric guitars. In White Relief emits a gospel melody reminiscent of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Love To Pin You Down is a soulful ballad. Cluster Up & Hover stands out as a rich amalgamation of stylised Archie Bronson Outfit distortion, with Windett's seemingly strained falsetto voice and Garwood's colourful horn. However, the following track Glory Sweat And Flow fails to maintain the pace as the record hiccups into a two-minute light, happy-pop melody. Fortunately, it's a slight misstep in an otherwise stalwart album.