Young Widows
Power Sucker
Sorry to get heavy on everyone but I want to start this review with a question: “Why do we listen to music?” Deep, huh? The answer, of course, varies from person to person. Some listen to music to fill the silence, some for convenience, some unintentionally. My father even said once that he doesn’t like music. “Too noisy,” he quipped. He nailed it!
I listen to music as a way to connect. These sounds – these organized notes – are being processed in my brain and altering my mood and coercing a certain reaction; like tapping my toes, pepping my steps, bobbing my head, or transporting me to another place entirely.
What does this have to do with the Young Widows’ new album Power Sucker? Well, it’s all about connections, man!
I’ve begun to appreciate power-trio music much more in my old age. I now “get” METZ and the Bob Mould Band. Both of which have released great albums in the past couple years. I remember (or maybe misremember) Young Widows from many years ago. I think I liked them and wanted to check out the new album. It’s gritty, snotty, patient, nihilistic and musically sharp, riffy, and guitar-driven. Everything you want from a good power-trio record. I liked it, but it didn’t connect very much so I kept forgetting to cue it on my weekly rotation. Then, I read a CREEM article on them, saw photos of them trudging through this great country of ours. They are nothing if not genuine – one of us. I saw the error of my ways. Power Sucker shall be ignored no longer!
The next time I listened to Power Sucker, that connection happened. I was hearing details I missed, and the words “They say the world keeps spinning, I swear I felt it stop. The only thing I luckily lost was the darkest heart” just hit. Power Sucker does quite the opposite, plugging itself into my arm and invigorating me with a healthy dose of energy from the sludgy Call Bullshit straight through Exit Slowly, reassuring me I turned out alright for a punk rock kid and pulsing and bubbling while Holy Net opens into Total Fucking Clarity.
This album is cool, man, and I regret not seeing them when they came to town. The Young Widows make the kind of music that we need in this world and Power Sucker, with all the energy it brings, is one of the most overlooked albums of 2025. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another 10 years to hear more from this band.
Get it here. They still have the color vinyl!
