Manchester supergroup Lucigenic are back with their second single ‘Still Breathing’. Produced by legendary producer Mike Bennett (The Fall / Fat White Family / Ian Brown), ‘Still Breathing’ was engineered at Farheath Studios with Angus Wallace and features dual drumming from Dave Barbarossa (Bow Wow Wow, Republica) and Simon Wolstencroft (The Fall/Ian Brown).
Back in February, lockdown was taking a stranglehold on the nation’s soul. Lucigenic put the powerfully ethereal single ‘Hope’. A stunning release of tension via singer Lucy Wyatt’s Mark Greaveny-esque vocals.
This time out, the pedal has hit the metal! Aggressive ‘Raw Power’ guitars are met by Wyatt’s colossal Patti Smith vocals. Reinventing the wheel is not on the menu. but is a firm reminder that the wheel can be a force more than cheap fame.
Their exasperation at social media “heroes” is never embittered, nor do they ever yearn for yesteryear like the hapless hacks of GB News. Moreover, ‘Rocks’, Cigarettes and Alcohol’ and ‘21st Century Boy’ are beefed up and renewed for a new breed of defiance and grafting cultural icon.
Wave upon wave of guitar licks thrust themselves at you like gunfire. It’s an onslaught like no other. Then, when all is lost, comes the ecstatic backing vocals to usher in Mark Refoy’s (Spiritualized/Spacemen 3) scintillating solo. With the spirit of ‘Easy Rider’ and the face-melting genius of Death Valley Girls in his heart, he has summoned the devil for a night out on the town!
This is an astonishing change of direction from ‘Hope’. One can only imagine where this supergroup is going next. What ‘Still Breathing’ proves is, it’s a must-listen destination.