LP + 7" Bundle: 'Killing the Buzz' Transparent Pink 7" only £7 with purchase of 'Force Majeure & The Acts Of God' Webstore Exclusive edition.
The Black Wizards are back, but not as you remember.
The Porto-based trio of Joana Brito (guitar/vocals), José Gomes (bass/vocals) and Helena Peixoto (drums) present their fourth album, 'Force Majeure & The Acts of God' marking a decisive break from their past. The doomy haze and sprawling stoner-rock tag that once followed the band has been stripped back in favour of something sharper and more poised, deftly traversing a wider sonic palette. These songs don’t lumber forward so much as lunge.
The fresh take on their sound is embodied by a frantic garage rock swagger and bluesy stomp. Nothing here feels overly polished or ironed flat. The rough edges remain intact, giving the record a volatile energy that mirrors the instability that inspired it. “It’s kinda nice to see imperfections these days when everything evolves into AI-based,” says Brito.
While compiling lyrics for the record, front-woman Joana Brito read books on politics, gender and toxic masculinity, including Grayson Perry’s The Descent of Man, these ideas bleeding through songs that take aim at hollow leadership, social tribalism and the performance of power.
There’s something knowingly tongue-in-cheek about a band called The Black Wizards naming their album after bureaucratic disaster terminology. That tension between absurdity and confrontation runs throughout the record itself: funny, sharp, politically charged and constantly pushing forward.
VARIANTS:
D2C Webstore Exclusive:
Yellow/Red 12" Splatter Vinyl. Includes double-sided fold-out poster. Limited to 300 copies.
CD:
Softpack CD edition.
