Lung
Fog
Self-Released
Formed in the late 1980βs, Lung created waves with a series of well-received releases (John Peel was an early champion) that encapsulated the ethos of alternative rock. After a lengthy hiatus, the band was resurrected in the 2010βs and their latest album, Fog, finds them in a ruddy health. With slabs of dense, impenetrable sonics punctuated by stark segments of white space, the opening track βIsolated Gunβ is dizzying and disorienting, encasing the listener in the mists to which the title refers. A direct lineage can be traced to New Yorkβs βno waveβ scene, yet New Zealandβs relative isolation from a music industry based in the northern hemisphere has undoubtedly helped Lung formulate a sound all their very own, and itβs to their credit that songs such as βPandaβ resemble no one but themselves. Yet nothing exists within a vacuum, and various influences canβt help but bleed into their sound: βTR*UNTβ is an unstoppable dirge of Sabbath proportions, whilst βeXtra Spankβ is pushed to the edge of a precipice and perched there precariously for several heart-stopping moments, evidencing the same mastery of music as Sonic Youth. Fog finds the haze clearing to reveal an original album, and one signposting a bright future.
https://www.facebook.com/LungCactii
Review by Peter Dennis