By Jay Mukherjee
Over the years, I've heard the name The Bevis Frond come up repeatedly from friends whose musical taste I trust, all of them praising the band's greatness. I've also come across quite a few reviews highlighting their blend of indie rock, psychedelic guitar jams, and lo-fi pop as a "hidden treasure" worth seeking out. Of course, "hidden treasure" is often code for a cult band, so, exactly my lane.
So when their new album Horrorful Heights came up for review, I decided to take the plunge. To be fair, I'd finally sampled a few tracks from their 2024 release Focus on Nature which I really enjoyed. The band is fronted by founder Nick Saloman, whose career stretches back to the Sixties. He launched The Bevis Frond in 1986 while recovering from a motorcycle accident, using the project as an outlet for home recording. Since then, they've released nearly 30 albums, an absolutely staggering output.
For the uninitiated, their sound tends to fall into two camps: extended, Neil Young–style guitar workouts and slower, more melodic songs with reflective lyrics. Horrorful Heights delivers both, though I'm especially drawn to the latter.
Track 8, "Draining the Bad Blood Out" feels like a mashup of The Pernice Brothers and underrated acts like The Bigger Lovers and New Radiant Storm King. Its wistful melody is matched by lyrics steeped in regret: "I'm not proud of how I treated you / No I'm not comfortable with that / But at the time I didn't have a clue / And I can't turn the seasons back." That same reflective mood carries into "Romany Blue" which plays like a slowed-down take on Velvet Crush. The connection becomes even clearer on "Momma Bear" where a beautiful, country-tinged slide guitar brings that sound into full focus.
The closing track, "King for a Day" strikes a more ironic tone, seemingly addressing the band's status as perennial cult figures. It wrestles with the fleeting nature of recognition, ultimately landing on acceptance since success is, after all, temporary: "Your band should be on Top of the Pops / I was king for a day / They gave me a crown / Then took it away / But I was king for a day."
One of the album's highlights, "That's Your Lot" answers a question you probably never asked: what would it sound like if Graham Parker fronted a song built on the melody of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven"? The result is great, complete with a guitar solo reminiscent of J. Mascis. There's also a sharper edge here, with flashes of frustration cutting through the melody: "I put myself into a state / Thinking I'm making you irate / For I'm not the perfect mate / I guess you think I've lost the plot / One more slip and that's your lot / I don't know how long I've got."
Overall, Horrorful Heights is a strong, rewarding listen. It runs a bit long, but its best moments -- particularly the more melodic, introspective tracks -- are genuinely beautiful, and well worth your time.
Horrorful Heights by The Bevis Frond is out now via Fire Records.
[Photo: Fire Records]