BARBE-Q-BARBIES-Borrowed Time

Dissonance Music

May 31, 2019 by Edwin van Hoof - More about our team

Album number four from the Finnish straightforward rockers Barbe-Q-Barbies is not a slick little token. The Finnish ladies took their full frontal rock approach to the next level with gritty and energetic performances making this CD bold as brass.

No auto-tuning, no slick choirs and copy pasted studio techniques were used in the recording process, that’s for sure. `Borrowed Time’ is the next step forward with the girls laying down a hard rockin’ collection of tracks that pack power and enthusiasm. After the bias and resonance intro the band goes all semi poppy rocking out loud on the current YouTube single ,,Diz-Funk-Tional”. Guitars are raw, the bass is sloppy slapping and drums are simple and effective rolling onwards with the girls chanting and Niki shouting and singing her ass off. She injects the right amount of energy and has a rough edge aligning with the gritty twin guitar sound. More melodic and subtle is ,,Alive”, more predictable and persistent are ,,Made Of Scars” and the drum driven ,,Radio”, with ,,Innocent” being blunt and towering with energy. The title track has echoing chorused guitars with urging whammy riffs and persistent drive of drum & bass. Excellent, elegant, packing energy and drive. ,,Hangman’s Song” is a great track with throbbing bass and blunt short-lived riffs. The setting oozes somewhat of a spaghetti western attitude, and the song easily nests in your head for a couple of days after first spin. Another excellent track is ,,Towers” with its great melody and hook that instantly grips. Same goes for the uuuhs and aaahs in the slick but driven ,,On and On”, but it is also slightly tacky.

Barbe-Q-Barbies are certainly no Mattel displayed bunch of slick ladies but five true at heart power women. The girls deliver their fourth album with great energy and devotion, with an urging allure and drive. Short pointy songs in a gritty setting make `Borrowed Time’ an excellent rock album that needs to be heard. Food for festivals and a good time in sweaty and steamy broiling clubs.