Viagra Boys – “Viagr Aboys”

Viagra Boys have always thrived in chaos, but Viagr Aboys may be the purest distillation yet of the band’s bizarre balancing act between absurd comedy and existential dread. Released as the debut album on their self-owned label, Shrimptech Enterprises, the record feels intentionally unpolished and erratic, almost daring listeners to dismiss it as nonsense. That would be a mistake. Beneath the burps, sarcasm and bizarre one-liners is an album deeply concerned with mortality, insecurity and the absurdity of modern life.

Production was once again handled by longtime collaborator Pelle Gunnerfeldt, who understands exactly how to channel the band’s unhinged energy without sanding down its rough edges. Sonically, the album leans heavily into jagged post-punk guitars, rubbery basslines and noisy textures that constantly feel on the verge of collapse. The band entered the sessions wanting to move away from the overt political commentary of earlier records, with vocalist Sebastian Murphy openly describing the goal as being “simple and stupid.” Ironically, that stripped-back absurdism ends up revealing some of their sharpest observations yet.

Lyrically, the album is obsessed with the human body and all its fragility. Murphy repeatedly frames people as biological machines stumbling through an overstimulated digital world, clinging to distractions while ignoring their own inevitable decay. There are also recurring themes of paranoia, self-loathing and the emptiness of modern self-optimization culture. The brilliance of Murphy’s writing is that he disguises these anxieties beneath rambling, half-improvised delivery that initially sounds ridiculous until the meaning slowly creeps up on you.

“Man Made of Meat” is the perfect introduction. Built around a pulsating guitar riff and danceable groove, the song sounds gleefully stupid on first listen, especially as Murphy literally burps his way through a part of the track. But underneath the absurdity is a pointed critique of modern digital detachment. “I am a man that’s made of meat / And you’re on the internet looking at feet” is hilarious, but it is also strangely bleak, reducing humanity to flesh while technology consumes our attention spans.

“Pyramid of Health” shifts into something surprisingly melodic. With its thick detuned guitar riff and bass-heavy production, the track feels like a lost college rock single from 1994, carrying echoes of Pavement at their sludgiest. Murphy abandons his usual sneering bark for something closer to actual singing, satirizing wellness culture and humanity’s obsession with optimizing itself into happiness.

“You N33d Me” is perhaps the album’s comedic peak, though even that undersells how emotionally revealing the track becomes. Murphy plays a narrator desperately trying to project coolness and intellectualism while obviously unraveling underneath the surface. The bridge, where he attempts to keep someone’s attention by rattling off bizarre trivia about bears in the Polish army and aviation deaths, is both pathetic and painfully human. Few bands can make desperation sound this funny while still letting it sting emotionally.

Instrumentally, the album succeeds because the band never overcomplicates things. The guitars and bass lock into repetitive grooves that feel hypnotic without becoming stagnant, giving Murphy room to dominate the foreground. The rhythm section especially deserves credit for maintaining momentum through songs that often feel like they could spiral apart at any second.

And yet Murphy is unquestionably the centerpiece. His vocals somehow manage to sound detached, arrogant, insecure and deeply exhausted all at once. He approaches singing almost like stand-up comedy, using timing and delivery to weaponize awkwardness. That balancing act is what makes Viagr Aboys work. Lesser bands attempting this level of absurdity would collapse into novelty, but Murphy’s biting sarcasm and underlying sincerity keep the songs grounded.

The biggest lingering question surrounding the album is longevity. Humor in music can age poorly, especially when it relies this heavily on irony and cultural commentary. There is a chance some of these jokes lose impact over time or become tied too closely to a specific internet-era sensibility.

Still, Viagr Aboys succeeds because it understands absurdity as a coping mechanism rather than just a punchline. The album laughs at modern life while simultaneously sounding terrified by it. That tension gives the record far more substance than its intentionally stupid exterior initially suggests.

Ultimately, Viagr Aboys is one of the rare albums that manages to be genuinely funny, musically compelling and emotionally relevant all at once. It is chaotic, ugly, catchy and strangely profound, a wild card record from a band that has perfected the art of making existential dread sound ridiculous.

For Fans Of:

• IDLES – Crawler
• Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia
• Parquet Courts – Wide Awake!