SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LOWEST OF THE LOW – WELCOME TO THE PLUNDERDOME

LOWEST OF THE LOW
WELCOME TO THE PLUNDERDOME
SONIC ENVY/WARNER MUSIC CANADA

Toronto indie-darlings Lowest Of The Low continue their 30-plus year reign of music-making with Welcome To The Plunderdome, the band’s sixth studio LP album and their first since the 2019 polished gem AGITPOP.

Welcome To The Plunderdome is a consistent pop-rock album which is laden with hints of ska, harmonica, and brass. The essence of the 12 tracks feels like a natural continuation of AGITPOP, partly thanks to the reappearance of the horn section, penned as The Legitimizers by founding member and lead singer Ron Hawkins.

LOTL as a whole sound as succinct and as tight as they ever have, with the current iteration of the band (Ron Hawkins, David Alexander, Lawrence Nichols, Greg Smith and Michael McKenzie) having been together as a unit for 6 years. As the title of the first single “Hey Kid (You Got Soul!)” suggests, these kids have soul and captured it nicely on this recording. As well, the punk revolution spirit of Welcome To The Plunderdome is evident in the social and political lyrical content.

Standout tracks include the pounding opener “Brave New World” (with its Hallucigenia sound), the optimistic “Hey Kid (You Got Soul!)”, the uplifting “Cheer up Charli”, the funky “Boomerang”, and “Landslide” with its AGITPOP vibe.

Engineering credits are shared by John Critchley (of the early ‘90s originating Canadian band 13 Engines), Hawkins, McKenzie, and Nichols as the Lowest Of The Low took a hands-on approach to making Welcome To The Plunderdome. The end result is a very fine, quality addition to the catalogue of this legendary Canadian Indie Rock Hall of Fame band.

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