Allow us to counter this view: in the 16th century, they were among the first Protestants; in the 19th century, they expressed their rebellion against the all-encompassing culture of war through neutrality; and in the second half of the 20th century, they expressed their rebellion against petty-bourgeois morality through sexual freedom. Now, in the era of universal fakery and unrestrained consumerism, they give us “dirty” music and environmental activists. It is precisely this fight against global faux-niceness and the terror of beauty, autotune, makeup, Instagram filters, gyms, and fake smiles and optimism that we get from Viagra Boys, composed of a bunch of Swedes from Stockholm and an Irish-American from San Francisco, Sebastian Murphy (hence the juicy American accent in the songs).
The band was formed in 2015 at a time of a global overabundance of mass-produced hits, when a whole constellation of neo-punk-rock bands appeared around the globe, from Australia (Amyl and the Sniffers) to the UK (Idles) and Ireland (Fontaines D.C.), thus forming a new wave of aggressive guitar music. If it seems to you that something is wrong here, it is because, unlike, say, the nineties and shoegaze, grunge and Britpop, or the 2000s, with the indie revival, the mainstream media has wholly diverted its attention from the rock scene. It seems like Sid Vicious needs to come back to life for someone to remember guitar artists. However, the Viagra Boys and others, mentioned and unmentioned, are here to stay and share their stories with us.
Viagra Boys are both funny and punk, both intellectual and entertaining, you can’t take them seriously, but you must, and they’re as easy to enjoy as a Swedish meatball. The influence of Swedish pop is evident because rebellion is best swallowed wrapped in a tasty melody, and Viagra Boys, despite their heavy guitars and, at times, sloppy vocals, know how to make a song. Because Sebastian likes to take his shirt off, and also because of the music he makes, we can conclude that one of his fundamental role models was Iggy Pop. But, sometimes, it seems like they have also listened to indie-rock revival bands like Kasabian, The Strokes, or Franz Ferdinand. The way they present themselves as losers (even though they’re not) resembles Beck’s cheerful nihilism from earlier in his career (there’s even a song called “Punk Rock Loser“).
Most of all, however, they like to mock and actively poke fun at everything that is glorified nowadays (hilarious video for “Sports“), (Swedish) politeness (also notable “I Ain’t Nice“), consumerism and decadent ideology (and aspirations to be rich — no less entertaining “Creatures“) and there is also a duet with Amy Taylor, the “goddess” of neo-punk (pseudo-country ballad “In Spite of Ourselves“). Their favorite topics of banter and satire are right-wing populism, conspiracy theories, hypermasculinization, and everything else that a large but invisible part of the youth wants to mock.
Since it is not a mere replication of the past, their music incorporates various crossover elements. This means their songs feature electronic beats and industrial rhythms, as well as old-school guitar riffs. Just enough that the whole underground world today sees them as upcoming leaders of, this time, “the underground of the underground,” because it’s harder than ever to be a rock musician, especially one who plays guitar. They’ve released three albums, “Street Worms“ (2018), “Welfare Jazz“ (recorded during the pandemic, released in 2021), and the latest, most mature, “Cave World“ (2022), which, unsurprisingly, has an air of Nick Cave about it. With this record, they even delve into a fusion of neo-punk with electronics and “new rave,” which is a step towards the sound of, say, Republica from the beginning of their career. And let’s not forget that their guest on the song “Big Boy“ is one of the coolest characters in the British scene, Jamie Williamson from Sleaford Mods, resulting in a schizoid fusion of punk, blues, and rap.
One of the biggest bands at this year’s EXIT Festival and the world rock scene is landing on Gorki List Main Stage on July 6 to shake us up and make us laugh with… well, a delicious Swedish music meatball with lots of spices. Boredom is off the table! We can’t expect anything less from someone with Lös (loose) tattooed on their forehead!
Written by: Žikica Milošević
