Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Hailing from the same Nordic nation as ABBA and Avicii, Viagra Boys deliver their fourth studio album, viagr aboys. Operating within punk and punk-adjacent genres, Viagra Boys have carved themselves out a niche with their outlandish, vivid, and sometimes political lyrics – all delivered with a tongue-in-cheek smile. 

Viagra Boys’ latest outing distances itself from the political slant of the band’s last album, Cave World, which spent much of its runtime mocking vaccine conspiracy theorists and basement-dwelling incels. viagr aboys mostly avoids direct references to the political realities of conspiracy, instead opting for a more general theme of paranoia and schizophrenic delusion with tracks like Best In Show pt.IV and Waterboy being prime examples of psychedelic silliness. 

Whilst we all love a good laugh at flat earthers, this departure from politics is a welcome one as viagr aboys is able to freely explore whatever bizarre scenario the band’s frontman, Sebastian Murphy, can imagine. A particular highlight is The Bog Body which has the singer attempt to convince his girlfriend that his admiration of a preserved neolithic body found in a bog is purely archaeological rather than sexual. 

Sonicly, the album flits between styles with Dirty Boyz being a synth-heavy dance track and Pyramid of Health having a clear country twang. Despite this eclectic mix, the band is able to stay grounded in their punk sound with Murphy’s harsh and aggressive delivery keeping the band grounded in the genre.  

viagr aboys is a return to form and pushes the band’s strengths to the forefront. Although the album perhaps lacks tracks with the earworm qualities that past songs like Sports had, the band succeeds in creating a bizarre and entertaining listening experience.

Listen to: The Bog Body, Pyramid of Health, Best In Show pt.IV