Holy Moly! in Bloomington, MN

Blues Pills
returned to public view with late-winter single "Proud Woman," penned by powerhouse vocalist
Elin Larsson
as a kick-off to their third studio album,
Holy Moly!
Issued to coincide with International Women's Day, it's an anthem of empowerment delivered with unruly fervor and fire-breathing energy. More rootsy than anything on 2016's neo-psych breakthrough
Lady in Gold
, the track signified a back-to-basics approach, one that
engages through most of these 11 tracks. When guitarist
Dorian Sorriaux
amiably left the band in 2018, founder/bassist
Zack Anderson
moved over into his role and it made sense to reconsider their roots. They hired bassist
Andre Kvarnstroem
as drummer
Kristoffer Schander
's rhythm section partner.
was cut at the band's countryside recording studio in Naerke, Sweden with
Larsson
,
Anderson
, and
Kvarnstroem
all co-producing. The set was mixed by veteran engineer
Andrew Scheps
.
More than previous studio outings,
comes closest to resembling
' live attack. It is greasy, loose, and immediate; it's fiery and tuneful, blazing with searing guitar solos, thudding kick drums, and filthy bass throb. There is a profoundly musical finesse offered here that comes from working stages large and small. "Low Road" is a furious exercise in blues-rock, with
's potent riff delivered by an overdriven wah-wah pedal.
soars above the low-end power of the rhythm section. After an irritating intro of radio-dial static,
Schander
and
power the molten flow surrounding
in "Rhythm of the Blood." Its hooky refrain re-centers the riff as the tempo rages. "Kiss My Past Goodbye" weds sludgy blues-rock atop a funky refrain, with
delivering her most soulful wail on the set as
's rolling snare channels the attack of
Cheap Trick
's
Bun E. Carlos
. "Wishin I'd Known" is a sensual yet sad power ballad that intersects the best moments from
Peter Green
's "Albatross,"
Bob Dylan
's "I Shall Be Released," and
Etta James
' "I'd Rather Go Blind."
's bluesy picking fills, flows, and curls alongside
's sweet, multi-tracked chorale refrain. "Bye Bye Birdie" commences as a slow-simmering electric blues. It cracks wide open after the bridge, roaring with crunchy power riffs and
's high-pitched wail that rises above the maelstrom as
lays out his best
John Bonham
on the kit. The sense of abjection in "Song from a Mourning Dove" commences with fingerpicked guitars and brushed cymbals. But
ups the ante by channeling
Pink Floyd
in the bridge and
Robin Trower
in his labyrinthine solo; in the aftermath, the band swells and it becomes a swaggering soul-blues with
committing herself totally.
isn't perfect; its meld of songs could have been sequenced better -- the second half is far too weighted to favor ballads. So much so, in fact, that the poignant closer, "Longest Lasting Friend," is almost lost in the shuffle despite its arresting quality. That's a small complaint, however,
is strong, relentlessly creative, and restlessly self-assured in its aspirations. ~ Thom Jurek