Sex Jams is an alternative band from Vienna, Austria, composed of vocalist Katarina Trenk, bassist Florian Seyser, guitarists Lukas Bauer and Wolfgang Möstl, and drummer Rudi Braitenthaller. The band’s second album ‘Trouble, Honey’ is due March 1 on Siluh Records and Noise Appeal.

‘Trouble, Honey’ is a noise-pop record with flavors of hard rock. It could be said that the album splits in two different souls: the dream-pop one, which is predominant in many of the songs, and the rocky and catchy one, present in songs like “I Call Myself a Rocket,” which surprise and capture the attention of the listener.

It is a good album for a growing band, which opens a nice path towards the future definition of Sex Jams’ sound. The album is easy to listen to, and becomes more interesting after a few listens. Sex Jams is not inventing anything new, but it does its job well, moving from one style to another and opening to a wide audience. The talent of the members is easy to grasp, placing them in a good spot among the scene.

The album opens with a calm track, “Beauty is a Beast,” whose sonorities involve the currently trendy dream-pop, which then goes on for most of the record. The song is like a warm welcome and creates a pleasant atmosphere for continued listening. By the first single of the album, “Shark vs. Apple,” we find the enrichment of a vocal dialog between the female vocalist and her male counterpart, who converse over the dreamy sonorities, while the chorus bites stronger than in other songs.

The record often seems like it is about to take off, but actually does not until “I Call Myself a Rocket” makes a pleasant surprise entry. The track takes the next step, goes behind the dreamy atmosphere and the hypnotic way of molding voice and sounds, getting in touch with a rebellious attitude, also expressed through the lyrics. The same approach is revisited in “Science of Shapes,” although this latter song is more pop-oriented. “September,” even though keeping a faster rhythm than the first tracks, comes back into the cloud of dreamy and delicate melodies. They then change again with “Just Kids,” which is the ballad that is never missing in any record.

The technical execution by the individual musicians is very good, and the coordination within the band seems to be appropriate as well. Drummer Rudi Braitenthaller, although appearing only marginal at the beginning of the record, demonstrates his awesomeness in time. He is able to exploit the songs and enhance the whole performance. Vocalist Katarina Trenk is very interesting, even though the impression is that she could dare more. Instead she remains in her comfort zone without exploring all the potential her voice seems to have. Also the other members succeed in showing their very good capabilities.

A good record overall, which opens to a very promising future for Sex Jams.

Rating: GOOD 3/5

Image Courtesy : Sex Jams

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About the author

Veronica Cinti
Italian native, extremely passionate about music in general. Although she appreciates a wide variety of music genres, her strongest field of expertise is Rock music, Grunge and Punk among its styles. Contact the author: veronica.cinti@toonarimedia.com; Follow Veronica on Twitter: @VeronicaCinti