THE Living End remain a powerhouse live, but their last album Shift (2016) lacked their trademark propulsive energy. Rediscovering that edge was central to album No.8 Wunderbar.
It’s a mission partly accomplished. Chris Cheney sounds like John Lennon when he belts out Not Like The Other Boys about toxic masculinity, while the second half of Death of The American Dream is stirring. Yet the album rarely matches the power of their early material and is dragged down by too many mid-tempo pub rock numbers.
Ironically the tension is best amplified on the stripped-back Amsterdam, which features Cheney alone with his electric guitar.
Wunderbar isn’t a return to past glories, but it’s righted The Living End ship.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
