Portuguese three-piece Sunflare have gone and released the loudest record this year with Young Love, a testament to all scorching, squalling and squealing noise ever recorded. Essentially, the classic “rock trio” of guitar-bass-drum is at work here, but Sunflare seems to have burned off the impurities for tight and boisterous results. “Facemelt” opens the EP (fittingly titled enough) as a mid-take 2:00 AM jam session. Lead guitar lines shred and maul at a frenetic pace much like the adrenalin-addled psych spectacle of Acid Mothers. The drum-and-bass assault churns out a repetitive wall of soulful sludge. Headbangers unite. “New Blood” continues the trajectory, hitting on a similar tone of Wooden Shjips or Comets on Fire at their least introverted. The unrelenting shred just builds and builds, until stepping back (barely) and opening up to a Stooges-funk strut. The trio does introduce “fresher” elements in B-side opener “Gravity Free.” The tune lets its guard down a bit by mixing Lightning Bolt’s playful high/low-end bouncy scales and melodic runs. “Particle” ends the 30-minute set with a wide open distorted cloud of feedback and punch drunk drumming, giving you the sense of calm after a fist fight.
Cubic Pyramid
8/10
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