ALBUM REVIEW: Mortuary Pantomime – Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam

In the running for most extravagant band name — narrowly beaten by PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS — SUNSHINE FRISBEE LASERBEAM make a graceful return for the first time in five years. The Brummie six-piece were formerly an album pumping machine, working themselves to the bone managing to release over 100 tracks on Bandcamp. Seemingly they’d disappeared with their five-year hiatus but that’s not the case, they decided not to be sucked into the void unlike plenty of pre-pandemic bands. Now they release Mortuary Pantomime, their most succinct work to date, full of fun shoegaze, fast and battering and emotional bleeding all throughout the record. 

Apocalypse, that’s a cheery one to come back with; still, it sure is a head turner for the first impression after so long, the quaking anxiety of an existential creative bleeds into the music, facing down ambition and dread, nervousness and excitement they all collide to ensue chaos. Gory Ending isn’t much of a mood lifter either and cuts into a lot of the same themes. We Like Danger is indie rock pushed that little bit further that actually makes it sound good, something that a lot of bands from Birmingham lack, it has the spontaneity that the genre desperately craves. 

E.S.P. is caked in a delusional nostalgia, reminiscing about friends that don’t remember your name and seems to be about gaslighting yourself about how good times once were. Played out but done well, SUNSHINE FRISBEE LASERBEAM actually manage to capture the sound instead of just singing about the subject to very basic guitar licks. A lot of Mortuary Pantomime seems to be a kick back effect of being away from the band for so long or an attempt at a big hitter comeback which limits the six-piece to anthemic tracks only.

All of the vulnerability that makes the record stand out is lost amongst the never-ending, blistering shoegaze, and it really is never-ending. It grows stale too quickly and is emotionally exhausted from the hasty tempo. It feels horrible to end up being bored by something that clearly has so much potential and shines in many places. The vast experience between the band shows, the songwriting especially feels like a step above the rest in Birmingham, which is usually very one note and tame, they all seem to feed on one another. Where the shrouded vulnerability of Mortuary Pantomime sets it apart in this case, it’s still a weak point for the album. 

Perhaps it’s too much experience becoming a hindrance, but it’s a win for Birmingham having something refreshing for the first time in a while. With some more refinement after this, SUNSHINE FRISBEE LASERBEAM could potentially be one of the better bands with a weird name.

Rating: 6/10

Mortuary Pantomime is set for release on August 4th via self-release.

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