Negativity

Description

The powerful alloy of wild swamp-rock from the Scientists returns stronger than ever with the release of Negativity on In the Red Records. This brand new album is the first to bring together the second-to-last line-up of the Australian band in thirty-five years. This collection of eleven battered tracks features a Scientists configuration highly appreciated by connoisseurs: singer and guitarist Kim Salmon, guitarist Tony Thewlis, and bassist Boris Sujdovic, all veterans from the 1981/85 era, along with drummer Leanne Cowie, who replaced drummer Brett Rixon for the tumultuous release of Weird Love (1986). The album kicks off solidly with the mission statement "Outsider"; the off-kilter and screaming waltz "Naysayer"; the hilarious and self-deprecating "Suave," inspired by the work of their compatriots the Moodists; and the quite surprising "Moth-Eaten Velvet," a ballad with a string section paying homage to the Velvet Underground. Among the album's instrumental guests are producer Mumford on trombone for "Make It Go Away," and Kim Salmon's daughter, Emma, on piano and vocals. Negativity is the first full-length format for the In the Red label after the single Braindead (Resuscitated) / SurvivalsKills in 2018 and the EP 9H2O.SiO2 in 2019. Raw, freewheeling, and splattered with a high-tension sound, the Scientists have drawn inspiration from influences such as the Stooges, Suicide, Gun Club, and the Cramps. Negativity delivers a jubilant and unpredictable listening experience.