Datura [LP]

Lorelle Meets the Obsolete's sixth album was recorded at their home studio in Ensenada, Baja California, it was mixed by Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes and mastered by Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control. It's a short, sharp shock of a record with no unnecessary adornments and no fat on any of it's eight songs. Gone are the psychedelic wig-outs found on previous releases, replaced with bass-heavy post-punk grooves inspired by the roots of The Congos, the no wave of Ike Yard, the industrial hip-hop of Dälek and the dark modular moves of Hiro Kone, all while harnessing the elemental power of Jon Hassell's Vernal Equinox. "The 'in the room' feel is one of the things I've always loved about The Besnard Lakes' records," says guitarist Alberto González. "And Jace brought that to Datura. The only note we gave him was 'we want this album to sound big and aggressive'." It worked - perhaps unsurprisingly for a record that covers cultural colonialism, imperialism, conflicting opinions, intense emotions, strange dreams and insomnia. The title refers to the genus of plants often associated with ancient rituals that are also sometimes used as poison or hallucinogens. "We liked the idea of a flower that opens at night," says singer and guitarist Lorena Quintanilla. "A type of Datura grows all over the neighbourhood where we live. People try to get rid of them because they are afraid of their dogs eating them, but they always regrow again and again in the same places." A bit like Lorelle themselves, then. We last heard from them at the start of 2020, when they had to crowdfund their way home after being stranded on the road in the US as Covid lockdowns came into force. As life returned to normal, they started playing shows again, firstly in Mexico and then, earlier this year, they finished what they started three years ago and toured the US with SUUNS. Now, finally, they are set to flower once again with Datura, their most direct and dynamic album to date; proof that nature really is healing.