Flight Test, the follow-up to The Love Junkies debut LP, should be called “mix tape”, as it’s one varied experiment of solo and group tunes that are difficult to pigeonhole.
The WAM (Western Australian Music) winners wrote, recorded, and mixed the EP in the foothills of Perth. The result is five honest tracks that explore some similar musical themes to earlier recordings; they could be written by a dispirited slacker, a snotty, troublesome punk, or a bouncing Brit-popster in equal measure.
‘Intro’ was a solo effort that Mitch McDonald conceived after a big night, a song that is surprisingly delicate, dazzling, and one altogether spacious epic.
The boys return to what they know best on ‘Chemical Motivation’. This starts out like some sweet and sunny indie-pop honey before proceedings turn to blistering rock not unlike British India.
This immediate, incendiary, and youthful energy also underpins ‘Blowing On The Devil’s Strumpet’, where McDonald vents his frustration at an annoying love interest amidst a loud cacophony of pounding drums, raspy vocals, and some Children Collide-esque rock.
‘Gloria To My Dysphoria’ sounds like it belongs on another record; it’s a poppy piano ballad that begins as a vocal piece, written by drummer Lewis Walsh.
Flight Test sees different emotions, ideas, and circumstances beaten together by multiple writers where the only commonality is a “dark” vibe. There are softer moments but mostly, The Love Junkies are about balls-out, ear-burning rock that bleeds.
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Listen to ‘Chemical Motivation’ from Flight Test here:
