REVIEW BY VON GOLOKA
“Stoned Weekend” on 28th January 2022 on Papercup Music Records.
Drug Couple is (or is it are) Miles and Becca Robinson. They used to be a “Brooklyn band”, until they moved to the Vermont countryside. They got married, grow marijuana, like country and American indie rock, and don’t particularly miss the city. Now that’s straight from the horse’s mouth as it were and yeah, I can see that is an unquestionable truth. Full of farm fresh sounds recorded in their very own barn studio Freelandia “Stoned weekend” is a sweet, sweet record giving you ten superbly balanced slices of seriously layed back guitar-based Americana that will have the hairs on the back of your neck tingling. And yes, I totally believe that you would have had to cut the air in their studio with a knife when they compiled this work. (Perhaps including a scratch and sniff cover would have been appropriate but I guess the DEA may have taken exception).
So, what’s going on here? well Drug couple have definitely zoned in on the chilled out retro sounds that only home-grown horticultural endeavours (which they unashamedly promote) can really bestow on an artiste. They have been widely compared to Neil Young. Hmmm that needs qualifying. Let’s say Neil Young at his high-water mark with the legendary band he worked with as heard on 1972’s Harvest LP also recorded in a barn! That figures. There is just a certain “je ne sais quoi” about recording in a barn whilst stoned that you’re unlikely to get out of any metropolitan set up that I’m aware of. But there’s more. Of course, there has to be right? To me there are beautifully nuanced nods to Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd too with Miles Robinson’s vocals evoking the soulful rawness of Ronnie Van Zant particularly on the superb opening track “Stoned weekend”. That sets the scene for the whole of the LP which is drenched in glorious pedal steel guitars throughout and just to labour the point “Stoned weekend” concludes with an alternative take on track one “Still stoned” which if anything is even more mashed up than when they set off. That figurers too!
Unlike anything that could ever originate from the UK and like that holiday for the head you never knew you needed, expect to lose yourself in a dream-like haze of hash, love, and languid sounds when the Drug Couple’s ‘Stoned Weekend’ hits stores in a couple of weeks. Guaranteed to challenge anyone’s sobriety “Stoned Weekend” is not only a wonderful debut but a thoroughly absorbing passion piece to boot and the perfect antidote to these strange and unnerving times we find ourselves in. Beautifully produced throughout and worth every damn minute I absolutely loved it. Thank you, Drug Couple, for staying true to the power of your convictions. Now pass that joint would ya.
9/10
STONED WEEKEND – TRACK LISTING
Stoned Weekend
Missed Our Chance
Lemon Trees
Linda’s Tripp
Little Do I Know
Ben & Bongo
Blue Water
Our December
Wyld Chyld
Still Stoned
DRUG COUPLE ARE:
Miles – vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica, keys, production
Becca – vocals, bass, guitar, harmonica
FOLLOW DRUG COUPLE
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago and married my childhood sweetheart and life is good.
