Garage rockers Jonathan Kahler and Gamble Scrantom make up the duo Fat Hot, and their self-titled album (currently only available on cassette or as a download, no less) is a fun, snarky, fuzzy treat.
Opening with “Boatman Love Song,” the album gets a rough surf rock sound going before unleashing reverbed vocals about found and lost love. “Ghost Drugs” is a fun little tune that seems to be about a spirit hoping to get some spirits from a young woman. The catchy “Bad Drink” continues the theme of substances that alter one’s state of mind as they sing about searching for a bad drink while lamenting the loss of a shoe.
“Krakken Me Up” returns to the earlier nautical theme and continues the Flat Duo Jets-like wall of blues rock Fat Hot seems to have mastered early in their career. “Sweet” is a slow burn about a one-night stand that might end up in danger, disaster, or both. It unloads around the 2:15 mark with a surprising fury before going back to a simmer for a little while. “Sour” is the longest track on the album, coming it at nearly six minutes, and it’s full of scorching guitar and drum fills that mix stoner metal with psychedelia.
“Harpy Woman” is the second reference to a mythological monster, and the seventh time Fat Hot unleashes blistering riffs and beats. “Shudder” brings up a common theme in blues-garage-psych-psychobilly tracks – the Devil. It’s a toe-tapper of a tune about impending death. The album ends with another salute to being a sad drunk – “Rye Smile.” The guitar work on it is deceptively tricky and the drum work switches on a dime at any given moment.
This is a fun record, and a pleasant discovery for me. It will be for you, too.
Keep your mind open.
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