Acid Ape

Sweden, Sweden, Sweden, the hype is reminiscent of what swirled around the late ’80s Seattle scene. And, here’s a Swedish band that sounds vaguely like it could have been on that scene, with hints of Melvins, Bleach-era Nirvana, Tad and even Mudhoney. On Fleshspa the fuzz and raw power of the Stooges meets the quasi-technical, egghead guitar tunings of Sonic Youth and stop-start throb of Melvins. The rhythms and tunings might suggest rigid virtuosity on paper, but Acid Ape often sounds like they’re on the verge of a balls-out, catastrophic train wreck, and that looseness goes a long way in their charm. Acid Ape flip the formula on psychedelic garage rock’s blueprint, sure the fuzz bass is cranked, and the wah-wah’s squealing, but the stuttering beats, screwy tunings and screamed vocals make this a whole different ball game. Like an adrenalised, grimy, speed-fuelled, murder-ball game.