ALBUM REVIEW: Love Child – Sweat
If you’re looking for something refreshing, sort of like menthol mouthwash mixed with liquid nitrogen fresh, or just something to quench the craving of excitement to push you through this last winter month, look no further than SWEAT and their new record Love Child. From maniacal ragers with scathing topics, to fun moments that take the edge off just for the hell of it, there’s something for everyone on Love Child.
The title says it all, this is a labour of love, an endeavour in joy and an exercise in exerting anger at the right time. Opening with a painful dose of reality, steeped in capitalism and the residual depression that comes with it, Commercial Pleasure leaves its bold first impression before the defiant Give Me Action sums up what SWEAT are all about: rock ‘n’ roll. All it takes to either get you hooked or chase you away is Tuna Tardugno’s vocals that sound like the neck of a chicken being wrung, the chaos that is hurtled into the mix by them is visceral. SWEAT give everything they have, drums to keep you on your toes, shifting gears in an instant like a beating heart during cardio.
White Nectarines stands out, claiming the limelight, picking apart thoughtlessness and grief with ease, with a chorus hook that a boxer would praise. They skim the surface of life’s repetition and make a glorious complaint of a track from its scum. Title track Love Child juxtaposes the prior with an all curing remedy for the dour. All things love, find it between the cracks of society’s veneer, seek it out and milk it until it’s empty, find it in the phenomenal bridge of this song and its stellar, but brief, guitar solo.
Vanity is clearly issued conservatively in camp SWEAT. Surely they can appreciate the praise though. It clicks that their tracks are muscular and heavy outings that can bully their way through any preconceptions you might have going into listening. Physical is broad where they rally confidence and self love, a motivating number to get you out of any rut, and Predisposed Paranoia is a chest-beating declaration of aggression towards anyone and anything. Try them, they literally dare you.
Love Child brands itself invincible despite all of the claims it makes of vulnerability and weakness; by that recognition of flaws SWEAT iron out the creases and become a towering behemoth that should not, under any circumstances, be messed with. If you hadn’t clocked it yet, SWEAT are a burn that can’t help but leave a scar, a force of nature that you will undoubtedly know when you meet it. In album two, they add flare whilst refining themselves so much that they feel untouchable.
Rating: 9/10
Love Child is out now via Vitriol Records.
Follow SWEAT on Instagram.