Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out

There’s a reason Brighton duo Lambrini Girls are so high on everyone’s ‘must watch’ lists, and that’s because it’s literally impossible to ignore them. From the minute Phoebe Lunny’s shouty vocal comes bursting out in ‘Bad Apple’, it’s abundantly clear that this is going to be a very special record.

Equal parts sardonic and searingly accurate, ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ is as much a manifesto as it is an album.  ‘You’re Not From Round Here’ could easily be taken from a political theory handbook on the dangers of gentrification, whilst ‘Big Dick Energy’ tears apart the fragile male ego and the idea of ‘nice guys’ in a vicious 4-minute headbang-worthy tirade. Elsewhere, ‘Company Culture’ smashes the glass ceiling into tiny pieces, whilst ‘Filthy Rich Nepo Babies’… well, it does exactly what it says on the tin, really.

There are also genuine moments of heart on this album, as ‘No Homo’ explores tentative steps towards queer love, whilst ‘Nothing Tastes As Good As It Feels’ highlights the dangers of diet culture and eating disorders, all perpetuated by the all-powerful social media algorithm. Meanwhile, ‘Special, Different’ delves into the workings of an autistic brain, showing that there’s more to Lambrini Girls than tongue-in-cheek wokeness.

Musically, it’s a no-holds-barred punk record, combining 21st-century problems with classic 70s thrash-punk tropes. Thundering drums, replete with woodblocks getting bashed to bits, and siren-like guitar lines tie the album together in the most ferocious way possible. Throbbing basslines, mosh-ready breakdowns, and riffs that vibrate through your bones, it’s built for bouncing around in sweaty rooms before getting out and starting the revolution.

Lambrini Girls are the heralds of a new age, and they’ve started with a debut album that’s practically perfect in every way. One thing’s for sure: punk’s definitely not dead.