ALBUM REVIEW: Lazer Beam – Lazer Beam

You rarely see father/son bands these days, but that’s exactly who BURN THEE INSECTS were, birthed by Mitch French and his son Lucust in their native Arizona back in 2015. The outfit was short-lived, although an EP and album did see the light of day, but now Lucust is back and foraging ahead on his own with LAZER BEAM, a one-man project whose debut, self-titled album is released on Friday via LCF Records.

The album was not recorded in a traditional, static studio; rather, Lucust chose to capture the nine tracks present either on the road or in an outdoor setting. Whilst it’s not explicitly said which environment was chosen in relation to the songs, it’s enabled LAZER BEAM to exhude a finely-balanced mix of professional clarity and raw talent. Opening track Sink or Swim is testament to this: part stoner-rock, part grunge, the fuzzy guitar riffs bring to mind the likes of KYUSS and MASTODON whilst the echoed vocals are more reminiscent of ALICE IN CHAINS in their early 90’s pomp. Yet, every part of the song can be picked out clearly, there’s not a hint of merging at any point and this showcases the work of a man who knows what he’s doing behind a mixing desk as much as he does in front of it.

The album has been described as ‘desert pop’, and, when it comes to the ‘desert’, the images of a barren landscape backdropped by a setting sun are immediately conjured thanks to Sink of Swim, remaining present for the duration of the record’s length. Sno Burn is another good example of this; the feedback and spoken word ending will unsettle anyone with a good pair of earphones, but the blend of (this time) QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and NIRVANA works impressively. Closing song Adam and Eve is more acoustic-led at times, but evokes thoughts of THE SMASHING PUMPKINS as it brings the record to a close, especially with Lucust‘s falsetto vocals throughout.

As far as the ‘pop’ side of LAZER BEAM is concerned, it’s unbelievably catchy, particularly in the choruses and specifically Don’t Tell, but more impressively Lucust has managed to keep LAZER BEAM accessible despite the forays into a sound more in line with that of Desertfest over, say, Reading & Leeds. It’s an easy record to listen to, with In The Moonlight drawing on the early 00’s output of indie bands like ARCTIC MONKEYS and THE STROKES; the same applies to Take Me Home, which combines a more straightforward approach to the distortion with a vocal line higher in the mix, presenting a welcome throwback to the 1960’s where such a sound could only be achieved by slashing an amp.

This does present a drawback, however, in that it may not stay in the mind of someone too long; those who like their riffs chunkier may consider LAZER BEAM too lightweight, whilst an indie aficionado might have difficulty connecting with songs that go too far the other way. That being said, Lucust has found the sweet spot between the two with unerring accuracy, and this will allow the album to tickle the fancies of a wider range of people than if he had leant too heavily one way or the other; as previously mentioned, this is not an easy thing to do.

With people starting to meet up again, LAZER BEAM will make the perfect soundtrack to those days where nothing else will do but a few beverages under a blue sky, warm evening and excellent company. This could well be the sleeper hit of the summer and take Lucust French from being just another talented musician to one high in demand from across the world.

Rating: 7/10

Lazer Beam is out now via LCF Records.

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