REVIEW: Destination Lonely – “Kiss or Kicks” LP
RATING: 7.5/10
Destination Lonely ply an exciting, energetic brand of garage rock. This LP for Les Disques Steak (not sure if I really wanna call it an LP) is 6 tracks of fire. The opening title track is a tumbling, CHEAP FREAKS-like psych-garage stomp, with a scorching solo. The cover art’s somehow very indicative of the sound, and this band knows how to work the wah like Ron Asheton on half the coke in Colombia. “I’m Down” is slower, but no less ferocious – a tight ball of energy that explodes into another solid guitar workout. There’s also a BILLY CHILDISH vibe here, but this is polished and slick where that band is rough and ragged (but by no means the worse for it). This is probably my favorite thing about the release – Destination Lonely have some real, honest-to-god swagger – the brashness of the music is matched by the total control they maintain over it; there’s not a hair out of place on this band’s shiny waxed-pomp.
Instrumental “The Axeman Cometh” has a nocturnal vibe to it – echoing, lonely sounding guitars and lethargic drums. It’s good, but with each successive track, I miss the absolute hell-raising of the opener, even though later tracks like “So Blue” have a good shivering, vintage-pop feel. Thankfully, the closer hearkens back to the energy of the first – Mosurock thinks they sound like THE HIVES, and he’s not wrong. It should be longer – this is a pretty dainty LP. With these 6, if they were all like the first and last one, this would be a “snag this now.” As it stands, it’s a solid listen by a band that shows a lot of promise.
LISTEN/BUY: Les Disques Steak Bandcamp
[wax trash] 
