Currently based in Spain, Irish artist Stunt Lover rubs bigot’s noses in the dirt and casts a lifeline to queers on her latest album, A Huge Problem To A Sane World.
Craftily discombobulating and spiced with rageful poetics, A Huge Problem To A Sane World is anti-fascist and queer celebration in equal measure. Coining her style as “grunge loungecore” and “industrial jazz-punk” Stunt Lover utilizes analog sound sampling, vintage recordings of speeches, and her bristling and charged poetry to make sure each track hits home.
‘Finance Journalists Will Be The Death Of Me’ calls out the hypocrisy of the mutated media atmosphere giving bigots platforms. With potent guitar and righteously ferocious vocals, this track reminds us of what truth is and screams that we never settle for anything less.
‘Cisyphus City’ exemplifies the “grunge loungecore” aspect of Stunt Lover’s style and is my personal favourite of the album. Fuzzed-out layers of music wash over like a dream while the spoken-word vocals buckle under the weight of total exasperation. Breath-taking and crushing, ‘Cisyphus City’ is a keening for the multitude of societal and systemic failures toward the LGBTQ+ community.
‘Materialized Girl’ has the most rock opening of the album. Gorgeously mystifying the emergence of the femme, ‘Materialized Girl’ cracks open the cocoon of rage and looms over a fresh world for her taking. Shouted vocals over guiding basslines, this track solidifies personal power in the face of hateful, cowardly adversaries.
‘Bitter Angels Of Erasure’ is another rock-heavy track that refuses to go quietly. As the world works to dismantle the lives of trans people and then asks why you are complaining so loudly, Stunt Lover slams the global gaslight to the floor. Jarring and unwavering, ‘Bitter Angels of Erasure’ will not accept the doomed fate being prescribed and harnesses their lingering bitterness as fuel for the fight.
‘Traditional Gluten-Free Recipes For Endangered Species’ opens as a runaway jazz track that shatters the false peace of the dinner party. Casting one more unflinching gaze toward the dystopia cultivators, this track summons hope and rebellion from the bottom of Stunt Lover’s well and beckons us to drink.
Broadcasting a message of defiance and disgust on A Huge Problem To A Sane World , Stunt Lover challenges the prejudiced status quo. Unapologetically political and rioting in the face of contempt, Stunt Lover serves up her anguish as ambrosia. Sustenance for the battles ahead, A Huge Problem To A Sane World testifies to the state of the burning world and to the diamonds crystallizing beneath the embers.
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