TOBACCO – Sweatbox Dynasty

Controlled Psychedelics

Sweatbox Dynasty is the fourth solo album for Black Moth Super Rainbow frontman Thomas Fec as TOBACCO. Like past albums, Sweatbox Dynasty keeps following down a psychedelic, unconventional path.

“Human Om” kicks off the album with an almost-metronome like bass, broken up by barely recognizable lyrics, though enough can be picked up through the synth: “You can be my light come up in the morning.” The intro is slightly disorienting and that feeling does not let up as the next song “Hong” follows and easily sweeps away with its melody for a seamless transition into “Wipeth Out.” “Wipeth Out,” though, comes in much more aggressive a puts a halt to the short burst of smoothness from the intro.

“Gods in Heat” follows next and brings the album to halt as well, but just to slow down the groove. The lyrics are much more obscure than before, but the song somehow manages to fall in a grotesque pop synth category and is easily one of the better songs on Sweatbox Dynasty.

As the album comes to a close, the final songs become a real conglomeration of the entire album. “Fantasy Trash Wave” lays it on pretty heavy with its synth layers but holds tight to a melody. “Memory Girl,” the closing song, manages to be the most understandable song but also the most disorienting.

For most of the songs on Sweatbox Dynasty, they have a feeling of only being part of a story. With almost all the songs lasting less than three minutes, there is never a chance for the listener to get the whole picture and fully ground themselves–that chance feels like it would come five seconds after the song ends. But this also has an air of being completely intentional and while the listener never has a complete grasp of the situation, TOBACCO is always in control.