One has not heard the epitome of indie-rock if one has not heard the works of Lucifers Beard. Lucifers Beard is a brilliant, virtuosic endeavour, originating from the genius of Shrewsbury-based artist Chris Barnes and luckily for us, he is back with a new gleam of garage rock!
Barnes’s new single ‘Lady Loser’ delves deeper into the narrative crafted in his antecedent track ‘The Guy With A Black Eye’, serving as a notional catch-up with the black-eyed protagonist. Embracing the legacy of jaunty, breakneck verve, ‘Lady Loser’ delivers the same gyre of powerhouse rhythms and inspiriting compositions that drew us into to Lucifers Beard’s style in the first place.
That being said, grab your headset, strap in, and follow me onto the crazy train that is ‘Lady Loser’.
Immediately, we are thrust into a euphonious crescendo of belligerent guitar, clambering up the rippling spine of the drumbeats like a rock-ripped demon rising up from Hell. That introductory instrumentation hooked me effortlessly. Lucifers Beard creates a barbed curlicue of lapping melodies that ensnared me, luring me into its thorned dichotomy of apoplectic timbres and (almost) sorrowful undertones.
You hear the spumes of venom amongst the guitar rills, and you believe every nuance of angst laced through the harmonies – the years have not been kind to the guy with a black eye. Assuaged only by Barnes’s benign vocals, the unique tonality of his performance effuses an intriguing mixture of featheriness and burly, swaggering brooks of classic rock!
As the track progresses, the listener is shot into the thunderous skies of the chorus and – on the back of a poppling vocal cadence – takes a leisurely descent atop the breeze of the snarling bridge. I find myself replaying the bridge over and over again because I can’t get enough of how effortlessly Lucifers Beard slips into an adagio swell of gravelly guitar, especially after such an explosive chorus.
The ascent to the crescendo is incredibly engrossing, Barnes teases the listener with drip-fed vigour until you are on the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting an epic eruption. When you finally experience said eruption, your heartbeat is as elated as the rhythm of the drums, and you feel an overwhelming urge to hit the floor and raise a little Hell.
The track ends by hitting the emergency brakes and the listener is left speechless, wading in the resonance of the greatest, indie-rock rollercoaster of the year!
Focussing on singles for the moment, one can only hope Lucifers Beard will set 2023 ablaze with an EP or maybe even an album…but I’m not hinting or anything.
Till next time.
Lucifers Beard’s Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0JeqvracVJvwcXSLc0DBmt?si=ixEwR6cbTEKbZWOnzJQa5w
Lucifers Beard’s Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ByLucifersBeard/
Lucifers Beard’s SoundCloud:
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