The Routes: Blaze Trail of "Dirty Needles And Pins" On Road Back From "Perfect Hell" | New Album Release From Greenway Records

Following the “In This Perfect Hell” album (released on Groovie Records in March 2017), “Dirty Needles and Pins” ( Greenway Records ) is the second album release of the year by The Routes, and their sixth studio album to date. As with the last album Chris Jack plays everything with exception to the drums, which are taken care of by Jonathan Hillhouse. Keeping true to form, “Dirty Needles and Pins” sees the band depart from a completely different point from where the last album landed.

Side A opens with what sounds like the mutant offspring of The Mummies cover of The Rangers’ “Justine”, and The Carnabeats “Suteki Na Sandy”, only this is no ode to Justine or the loveliness of Sandy. No, no! This is a warning of naivety, lies, betrayal and karma, sung with vindication. Yeah, “You’ll See”! “Ego A Go Go” sees the band in fun-poking freakbeat mode, sounding like the product of Don Craine (The Downliners Sect) jamming with The Pretty Things. 

We then go from egotism, to privilege and entitlement in the form of “I Ain’t Convinced”, sounding something like The Kinks meet Mudhoney. Next up is what could be a “The Wailer” or “Farmer John” style frat party stomper by the title of “Somebody’s Child”, but with lyrics that totally contradict the frat party vibe, summing up the lack of empathy, hatred, war and the state of the world we live in today. The A side finishes up with “Dysphoria”, quite possibly the first ever transgender garage rock anthem.

“All I Find” kicks off the B-Side. The psych switch is flipped, as is the depth and clarity in production, in contrast to the no frills lo-fi feel of the A Side. The organ riff and fuzz guitar interplay bring to mind Arthur Brown and The Doors, with the vocals conjuring the atmosphere of The 13th Floor Elevators. Next up is the pretty self-explanatory “My Hardened Skin” with its relentless driving rhythm section, which minus the vocals could be a fairly convincing The Fall backing track. 

The eighth and final track “No Return” sees the band revisiting the heavy psych trip of the “In This Perfect Hell” album; sounding like a collision between Loop, early Spacemen 3 and Sonic Youth, with mind melting consequences.The album is topped off with equally mind melting artwork by the Spanish king of rock‘n’roll art Mik Baro!

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RADIO/PRESS

The Routes last album “In This Perfect Hell” received heavy airplay from WFMU, WMBR, WRUR, WORT, Radio 3 (Spain), Inter FM (Tokyo, Japan) and Rodney Bingenheimer’s Rodney On The Roq show.The album was reviewed in Vintage Guitar Magazine (USA), Shindig! (UK), as well as many online music sites and blogs.Rodney Bingenheimer has already started playing tracks from “Dirty Needles and Pins” on his Sirius show, and The Routes currently hold the title of his most played Japanese band.The Routes Iberian Tour 2017

Iberian Tour

November 1st : Interview at El Sotano (Rne3, Spain Radio 3) November 2nd :Funhouse - Madrid November 3rd :Upload – Barcelona (w/The Underground Youth, Spindrift, Has A Shadow) November 4th Monkey - Betxi (Castellón)November 5th :Bar Musical - Pedreguer (Alicante)November 7th :Satélite T - Bilbao November 8th :Rock & Roll Circus – Leon November 9th :Super 8 – Ferrol  PORTUGAL November 11th : Sabotage Club – Lisbon, PORTUGAL