Allah-Las - Calico Review

Ethereally planted as if from another era, Allah-Las’ sound could just as easily echo from a sprawling desert as it could a garage in California. The LA four-piece make music that evades time or place, classic stylings engaged with a clear cut modernity. A sun-scorched soundtrack to movie perfect scenes, ‘Calico Review’ is enthralling in its splendour. Reminiscent of open-top convertible rides, surfing ventures on tubular waves, or an exotic twilight, the record is a dazzling escape ripe for diving into.

Characteristically restrained, Allah-Las create soporifically sun-struck rock ’n roll. Lead single ‘Could Be You’ is the group at their most refreshed, a forceful saunter through the notion of second chances. Embodying the duality of the old and the new is something the quartet have made into an art form.

Effortlessly freeing, there’s an undercurrent of melancholy to the sounds Allah-Las create. So surf-stained you can almost taste the sea salt, ‘200 South La Brea’ breezes with all the excitement and trepidation that comes with the rush of escape, tinged with the darker undertone of consequence.

Reinvigorating the band’s instinctive timelessness, Allah-Las’ third album rambles as it soars, and with a distinct disregard for convention, it paints a picture of life at its most freewheeling.