Review: Sun & Sail Club ‘Shipwrecked’

Perhaps the ultimate SoCal desert supergroup outside of the Desert Sessions themselves, Sun & Sail Club have consistently ripped the faces off of many a helpless onlooker thanks in no small part to its roster: Guitarist Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Big Scenic Nowhere, Slower), bassist Scott Reeder (Kyuss, The Obsessed, Across The River), drummer Scott Thomas Reeder (Fu Manchu) and vocalist Tony Adolescent (The Adolescents).

Sun & Sail Club 'Shipwrecked' Artwork
Sun & Sail Club ‘Shipwrecked’ Artwork

While the genre is known for something of a chilled-out demeanor appropriate for highway drives along a sunset vista, its actual origins lie not in some holdover from the psychedelic ‘60s but rather the abrasive scrappiness of ‘80s hardcore punk.

Most, if not all of these acts had their roots in playing at chaotic generator parties and small punk venues, pushing ear comfort and noise ordinances to their absolute limits. Thus, Sun & Sail Club is something of a return to the original evolutionary strain of what we come to know as stoner rock. Their newest release Shipwrecked continues that tradition, albeit with some surprises thrown in the blistering primordial soup.

We are greeted by a brief jazz instrumental courtesy of Balch called Just Friends. It’s a great first track to fool a first time unaware listener of the band’s true nature, later revealed with the furious punk of Halcyon. Adolescent’s declaration of ‘I keep looking forward/You keep looking backward’ coupled with Balch and the Reeders’ well sharpened edge brings us right along for the ride whether we like it or not.

a furious blast of desert heat and SoCal punk abrasion…

This is followed by the near crossover thrash of Torture Garden and Vector, which reveals that a decent amount of metal has made its way into the band’s sound. ‘Greed… is the color… of war’ is the relentless mantra of The Color Of War while the bleak Drag The River recalls the better parts of later era Black Flag before things went too far off the rails.

As on previous albums, the band’s formula still keeps to its hardcore format, with few songs exceeding a minute and a half. Yet Balch’s guitar often sounds noticeably heavier and with more weight than previous recordings. Bassist Reeder sounds a bit low in the mix to my ears, but drummer Reeder is insanely on-point on tracks like the moshpit-worthy District 19 and the deranged surf rock of Tastes Like Blood. And Adolescent’s for his part does a predictably splendid job of barking like some mad punk rock street preacher.

While I think Sun & Sail Club sounded their best on 2015’s Great White Dope, on Shipwrecked they sound at their meanest and nastiest. It’s a furious blast of desert heat and SoCal punk abrasion and it’s a joy to have this record the same year Fu Manchu gave us their excellent release The Return Of Tomorrow as well as Big Scenic Nowhere’s The Waydown. So buckle up, fix those aviator glasses on, pray for a safe landing and head off into the angry desert seas that Sun & Sail Club has charted out for you.

Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Rob Walsh