Album review – THE LAZYS “The Lazys”

What would possess Australian band The Lazys to abandon their homeland to tour all over Canada – including in freezing cold Alberta – at this time of the year? Apparently the answer is that when you impress the heck out of a whole lot of people at a Canadian Music Week showcase, you just might get some offers you can’t refuse. I’m certainly not complaining, because if I hadn’t seen that The Lazys were on tour with Canadian rockers One Bad Son, I probably wouldn’t have checked out their music, and would have missed out on this fast and furious rock’n’roll fun-ride.

Twisting together some old-school AC/DC-ish brawn and power, with some of punk’s raw energy and fire, and adding an infectious sense of no-holds-barred, party-loving fun, The Lazys self-titled album is a blast of satisfying and entertaining musical mayhem.

On their Facebook page, the band mentions The Stooges as one of their influences, and tracks like the rumbling and tumbling “Hard Luck“, the brawl-ready “Punk Come ‘N Get Me” (with just a couple of well-chosen expletives in the lyrics…), and the excellently raucous “Anxiety” (“what the fuck is my problem?”) have that spiky exuberance and ragged, jagged edge that makes good punk rock cut through any over-produced bullshit. The same can definitely be said of the red-hot “Love Your Gun”, a tune that rocks out at a blistering pace, while simultaneously criticizing and mocking the worldwide infatuation with violence and weapons.

The Lazys can definitely rock out hard and heavy: just check out the bluesed up and swinging “Shake It Like You Mean It” – a track that struts a bit like the Rolling Stones; and “All Fired Up” with its blazing hot guitars, plus all the cocky attitude you could wish for.

There’s also the fabulously hooky “Show Me What You’re Made Of” to enjoy; and “Howling Woman” with its crunchy riffs and terrific stripper-pole swagger. Add speeding bullet “Really Ready”; and the insanely sing-along-inducing “Wild Heart Races” to the list of kick-ass tracks here.

The Lazys also impress on the wistful rocker “Let You Down”, and go into full-on ballad-mode for “Love Sick Boy” which has a tender, almost folksy vibe – until the band cranks up the rock’n’roll just past the midpoint, switching the acoustic for some serious electric guitar fire power. These two tracks let the boys bare just enough heart to win me over even more thoroughly.

It’s easy to see why The Lazys made an impression at Canadian Music Week, and hopefully this current tour through Canada is just the beginning of a beautiful musical friendship.

Catch The Lazys on tour with One Bad Son at The Roxy in Vancouver Nov 13^th, in Kamloops at Doc Willoughby’s Public House on Nov 14^th, and in Vernon at The Max Nightclub on Nov 15^th.

The Lazys’ official website / Facebook / Twitter

Track-list:

1. Show Me What You’re Made Of
2. Shake It Like You Mean It
3. Really Ready
4. Love Your Gun
5. All Fired Up
6. Let You Down
7. Howling Woman
8. Wild Heart Races
9. Hard Luck
10. Punk Come ‘N Get Me
11. Love Sick Boy
12. Anxiety

Lineup:

• Leon Harrison – vox
• Mat Morris – guitar
• Glenn Williams – bass
• Liam Shearer – guitar
• Jay Braslin – drums