The Sucker Punch Show

The Sucker Punch Show

It’s hard not to listen to The Sucker Punch Show without a queasy smile on your lips. Lovedrug’s third album ranges from bleak to baleful in tone, conveying the morbid charm of a cult horror movie. Lead singer/keyboardist/guitarist Michael Shepard relishes his gloom with a hint of self-mockery, piling glam- and art-rock motifs upon resilient pop structures. His vision may not be uplifting, but on tunes like “The Dirtiest Queen,” “Broken Home,” and “Only One,” he manages to deliver venomous hooks with slinky, insinuating skill. Shepard’s lyrics can teeter on the brink of total despair, making “Panicked Witness” and “Dying Days” sound like soundtracks to a wrist-slitting session. Friskier numbers like “Blood Like” and “Borrowed Legs” help his disquieting observations go down easier. Lovedrug affects a cabaret-like languor at times, wallowing in slow, seething tempos on “My World” and “Fake Angles.” The sardonic, grunge-dipped “Everyone Needs a Halo” sums up the mood of the tracks. When it connects, The Sucker Punch Show jangles the brain, rattles the body, and wounds the heart.

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