(Credits: Far Out / Mike Morgan)

THE SKINNY: Although best known for their 2000 album Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia and its catchy lead single ‘Bohemian Like You’, The Dandy Warhols pride themselves on maintaining a fresh outlook, receptive to external influences and trends. As rock ‘n’ roll savants, they keep strings and toms in the ring but are never afraid to employ synthesisers and modern production techniques.

Having mastered the art of pop-rock at the turn of the century, Courtney Taylor-Taylor has led the band through several chapters of evolution. Most recently, The Dandy Warhols leant heavily on their synthesisers in the colourful, if interminable three-and-a-half-hour mosaic that was 2020’s Tafelmuzik Means More When You’re Alone. This week, the group returns with a much snappier follow-up but falls victim to mundane repetition.

If otherwise stagnant, Rockmaker is an unremittingly energetic album bound tightly by fuzzy, effects-ridden guitars. “It has a very specific sound,” Taylor-Taylor says in press materials, revealing consciousness of the album’s monolithic nature. Of course, the band would argue that the album sports enough twists and turns to keep the listener engaged, but my experience was one of endurance.

As a middle-of-the-road release, Rockmaker isn’t void of redeeming features. It benefits significantly from isolated collaborations, especially those with Black Francis and Debbie Harry, and uses several unconventional vocal and synthesised effects. Alas, I must add that the vocal effects did very little for me personally.

Although the record lacks variety, throwing up just a couple of tracks I’d return to, one must respect the band’s vision for the album. In an age strangled by contemporary RnB bilge, the Warhols seek to bring guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll back into the equation. “There aren’t a lot of heavy guitar records currently coming out that we like, so that was the impetus,” Taylor-Taylor adds, addressing the Rockmaster rhetoric.

For fans of: drug-addled moshpits, fast cars and postmodernist literature.

A concluding comment from Alan Partridge: “This record soon had my air guitar out, but if they’re trying to be old-school, I’m afraid it’s no match for Gary Numan.”

Rockmaker track by track:

Release Date: March 15th | Producer: Jagz Kooner and Keith Tenniswood | Label: Sunset Blvd. Records

‘The Doomsday Bells’: The track kicks off as it means to go on: in a fuzzy post-rock purgatory. The bold electric progression at the heart of the song meets some pleasing key tones along the way, but the lyrical depth and delivery were less alluring. [2/5]

‘Danzig With Myself’ (feat. Black Francis): The first of the album’s celebrity liaisons, this track is a marked improvement on the previous. I anticipated a corny cover of Billy Idol’s song of the same name but was pleasantly surprised to hear some attractive guitar work accentuated by a dynamic lead overlay. The presence of a Pixie is palpable. [3.5/5]

‘Teutonic Wine’: Continuing in the album’s thread of droning, grunge-inspired rock, ‘Teutonic Wine’ is an attractive number. The thunderous wall of sound hears guitar, bass and synth textures battling for the foreground while Taylor-Taylor handles the lyrics, nonchalant as ever. [3/5]

‘The Summer of Hate’: Taylor-Taylor ruminates on a universal feeling of dejection in the modern day. “I was born in the summer of love, and I’ve lived through the summer of hate,” he sings in the chorus. Meanwhile, the tempo reaches a new summit, driven by a fractionally lighter guitar mix. [3/5]

‘I’d Like To Help You With Your Problem’ (feat. Slash): With Guns N’ Roses guitar hero Slash on board, this track prevails with a nuanced guitar sound. Like the rest of the album, it’s rough and powerful, but Slash infolds some dynamic lead flourishes that become particularly prominent in the synth break. [3/5]

‘The Cross’: The low-frequency buzz returns like that fly you can’t seem to marshall through the open window. But not so fast; ‘The Cross’ stands out from the banality, thanks to a few subtleties in the guitar mix. The all-too-familiar rhythm progression is seasoned handsomely by some whining solos reminiscent of Psychocandy. [4/5]

‘Root Of All Evil’: In another record highlight, ‘Root of all Evil’ appraises capitalism, dancing to the tune of a jagged progression, allowing space for synth textures to breach the canopy. “I wanna get higher,” Taylor-Taylor sings in the refrain, ostensibly comparing an insatiable thirst for money with drug addiction. [3.5/5]

‘Alcohol And Cocainemarijuananicotine’: Remaining intoxicated, this aptly chaotic number combines the effects of alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and nicotine. Atop a cocaine pace, marijuana supplies the moments of surrealism through robotic vocals, ringtone synths and a shout-out to Salvador Dalí. [2.5/5]

‘Love Thyself’: If Alvin and the Chipmunks sang through mouthfuls of helium, ‘Love Thyself’ is delivered through a claggy lungful of lead. Meanwhile, the music follows a propulsive beat in a progression that recalls 1990s pop rock, yet not akin to The Dandy Warhols’ turn-of-the-century smash hit ‘Bohemian Like You’. [2/5]

‘Real People’: From a similar angle of attack, ‘Real People’ adds very little to the album’s dense sonic signature. The cacophonous mix of guitars and synths pushes the same buttons in a different combination while Taylor-Taylor examines an apparent state of paranoid schizophrenia: “See, I can leave you, but I can’t leave me / I try to get away, but he always finds me”. [2/5]

‘I Will Never Stop Loving You’ (feat. Debbie Harry): A collaboration with Blondie’s Debbie Harry concludes proceedings on a high note. Harry’s distinctive vocals offer the album much-needed variety; ethereal and slightly lost in the mix, the Warhols make daringly effective use of such a high-profile guest. [4/5]