Seek Shelter

Released

Throughout their career, Copenhagen’s Iceage have dealt in varying degrees of loud, shouty and intense. Following the theatrical howl into the abyss of 2018’s Beyondless, however, they introduced a new ingredient into their raucous, punk-inspired smørrebrød: joy. Producer Pete Kember brings some of the narcotic, gospel transcendence of his old band Spacemen 3 to the table (see the inclusion of May The Circle Be Unbroken in the pedal-to-the-metal thrills of High & Hurt), while much of Seek Shelter finds the band serving up the sort of potent Stooges/Stones/MC5 cocktail Primal Scream have spent most of their career trying to bottle. Elsewhere, there’s echoes of The Fall in Vendetta’s demented lurch and — by Iceage’s standards at least — the punch-drunk Drink Rain could even be considered a ballad. Much like its predecessor, Seek Shelter provides a rabidly enjoyable, visceral thrill.

Chris Catchpole