A long-awaited release

Four-man band Lowrider from Stockholm, Sweden has returned after a twenty-year gap with their newest release Refractions. The European sludge rock band with fuzz rock components is best known for their stoner rock album Ode to Io, released in 2000 and the band’s only album prior to Refractions. The band consists of singer and guitarist Ole Hellquist, guitarist Niclas Stalfors, bassist and vocalist Peder Bergstrand and Andreas Eriksson on the drums.

The band has definitely mastered stoner rock, psych rock and sludge rock, mixing it into a unique style. With lots of ’90s-like influence, the heavy riffs shine through in this desert sludge album. They pick up and slow down the tempo appropriately throughout the album and leave time for riff-heavy moments to shine through. Can’t go without mentioning the killer guitar solos, like on the eight-minute track “Ode to Ganymede.” The album also features some transcendental switch ups that take us on a journey from grungy to slow rocking psychedelic and combine the intensely punching riffs that fans love.

The warped guitar sound throughout the album adds an extra layer of texture to the complex album. This album has the kind of sounds you can’t help but move your body to; I don’t think my head stopped moving from side to side one time while listening. The kind of music you can listen to no matter the situation or the state you’re in. Whether you’re in the woods exploring, driving down the coast or just in your bedroom rocking out, Refractions has some killer components that take classic ’90s rock to a whole other dimension. With long tracks and a big emphasis on guitar, the band has set the bar high. They prove mastery of stoner, psych and sludge rock, and mix them all together in a way that you would think it’s its own genre with long songs that can be left on repeat all day.

You can catch the band at the three-day music festival, Desert Fest, in London from May 1-3.