ALBUM REVIEW: Liotta Seoul - WORSE
The 4th album from Germany's Liotta Seoul is an absolute blinder. These lads have gotten writing an epic, show stopping anthem down to an art. They also appear to have a thing about pissing themselves but we'll get on to that later!
"WORSE" is a collection of 8 sublimely written, flawlessly executed, completely infectious, mosh pit exciting belters! There's massive choruses, raucous riffs, thundering drums and vocals so versatile they could take on almost any genre. Liotta Seoul ooze talent and they're lyrics pour with angst, while also injecting a little tongue in cheek humour. The recurring theme of "WORSE" appears to be the feeling of wanting to be noticed by someone and be more than just a face in the crowd. It's a colossal album that needs to be played loud!
Jumping straight into the single 'Won't You Love Me' which beams with a melodic, uptempo pop punk sound. It's glittering and glorious, super catchy and completely addictive!
'Hypernormal' is an interesting lyric talking about self disgust and feeling happiest alone, doing weird shit others wouldn't approve of. It confesses to the notion of becoming immune to angst. It's bold, progressive and epic. This is also the first time we're introduced to the band's fascination with pissing, kicking off with the line "pissing in a bottle just to stay on the phone".
Latest single 'Want You' mixes a dreamy, captivating verse with grungy Nirvana comparable chorus. It's angry, angsty with a striking confident vocal.
"Laugh" is a chanty, attitude and swagger laden art rock track which combines elements of indie and nu-metal before switching entirely to an R’n'B slow jam as MightyMacFluff takes the helm and introduces a whole new sound. It works well as it's such an unexpected change in tempo.
'Star' hits of the 90's with an Alt Rock vibe that reminded me of Bush. There's a big sound, plodding drums and a shining vocal performance.
Next up is the most bizarre track on "WORSE" 'Disgusting' which is very aptly named because the lyrics most definitely are! This is the second song to feature pissing in the opening line "I'd like to piss my pants and leave them on for hours'' (eww!) and it gets progressively more vile from there as the lyrics confess to wanting to "desecrate myself in my own dirt" however in amongst all humorous vulgarity there's a hard hitting line "wouldn't it feel so good to leave everything we've ever trusted" - it's an immense lyric that really got me thinking but it gets a little lost hidden within the rest of the words. The song itself is funky with beefy riffs, crashing drums and a hard rock sound.
"Medicated Detective" is a jangly, up-tempo, bouncy melodic banger. The lyrics capturing the notion of wanting to be noticed perfectly, pleading "can I be special to you"
Bringing the pace right down is end track "Beauty Salons" it's slow, lo-fi and dreamy. There's an intense sadness as the words proclaim "we used to be fine" it seems to detail the struggles of someone unable to let go of the past. It's a heartfelt song and a stunning vocal.
My final thoughts are, Liotta Seoul are bold, confident, hugely talented anthem machines! "WORSE" is an excellent mix of genres, tempos and lyrical themes, you need to hear it!
