STÖNER – Boogie To Baja (EP)
Release Date: 24th February 2023
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, 70’s Blues.
FFO: Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Motorhead.
Review By: Rob Woodhouse
For three seemingly laid-back dudes (aside from Nick’s occasional social media rants), STÖNER seem top be slamming out the records in double quick time. Brant Bjork, Nick Oliveri and Ryan Güt return hot off the heels of totally… with the Boogie To Baja E.P.
Essentially, this appears to be a collection of extra tracks from the aforementioned totally… sessions, but there’s nothing second rate about this little quintet of gems.
It all lights up with a reprise of the STÖNER Theme, rebranded for this E.P. as the Baja version, with added Mexican flare! From there it’s straight into a cover. All the ways from 1979, the record kicks off properly with a cover of Pink Fairies/Motörhead’s : City Kids (geez, this is an umlaut loaded review). It’s probably one of the most easy going tracks from the mighty Motörhead out there, so it suits the band just fine.
It sets the theme for Boogie to Baja perfectly, as does the trippy artwork courtesy of Branca Studio. Depicting some hippy stoner rocker, blowing his brains out with a fat one, on his custom Harley, burning through the desert… yeah these boys wear their heart on their sleeves. You want desert rock from STÖNER, they give you desert rock by the canyon load.
Star of the show is third track Night Tripper vs No Brainer which is a track that picks up all the bottom end rumble essential to this style of music, but with that little added off-kilter goofiness that STÖNER are growing into. STÖNER never appear too serious, but are still delivering these excellent quality goods every time.
A short and snappy punky biker anthem follows. It Ain’t Free will get you a speeding ticket if you are not too careful! All before a bit of an epic in STÖNER terms, as the ten minute-plus Booogie To Baja closes the show. A fuzzy, dusty, a little jazzy old blues number to ensure we get our moneys worth out of the snappy little E.P.
STÖNER are not breaking any moulds, operating in a musical space that is notoriously derivative, but desert rock is theirs to churn out as they desire. Boogie To Baja is half an hours-worth of desert gold once again from the masters of this trade and long may it keep coming.
(4.5 / 5)
