Acid Tongue's 'Arboretum' is a star-studded rock 'n' roll revelation

Undeterred by the crippling impact COVID restrictions imposed on active bands, Seattle's Acid Tongue seized an unprecedented opportunity to gather around themselves a diverse and supremely talented array of artists and musicians that suddenly had a whole lot of time on their hands to craft perhaps the most dynamic record in the band's already admirable catalog. Arboretum stacks the deck on nearly every track with guest stars, features, and lead voices to thrilling effect, a chorus of hope radiating brightly in some of the darkest of times.

This level of collaboration, while more commonplace on the pop side of the musical spectrum, tends to be more rare among rock bands, developing later in a band's career as a manner of remaining relevant and fresh long after having established a specific sound and dedicated audience. Acid Tongue are indeed still a relatively young act and Arboretum is only their third LP, but in the brief time since their earliest EPs the band has repeatedly demonstrated an uncanny ability to meld garage rock, soul, psychedelic rock, and more into a compelling mélange of uniquely American aesthetic that at once defines and transcends the rudimentary definitions of "rock music." Perhaps it is the inherently well studied and adventurous nature of Guy Keltner and Ian Cunningham's combined efforts that makes their band so immediately attractive and impressively dynamic, and these qualities certainly contributed to the massive undertaking of wrangling so many friends and colleagues together into the kaleidoscopic whirlwind that is Arboretum.

Arboretum doesn't waste a second of time getting right into the groove, launching into the manifesto anthem "Home" like a prize quarter-horse bursting from the gate with athletic intent, awash in a crescendo of saxophone before breaking into an irresistible motorik rhythm that carries the hook with celebratory gusto "let's be thankful that our family's close, all my friends are finally back home!" - channeling the hopelessness of cancelled tour schedules into a homecoming event reuniting disparate comrades into a polyphonic spree of jubilant solidarity.

Track to track Arboretum swings for the fences with songs that absolutely burst at the seams with energy and enthusiasm. Every aspect of this album, while rooted in the DIY ethos of garage rock, refuses to be constrained by the style's fundamental limitations and instead looks to the stadium-sized posturing of some of rock's biggest players, from Supergrass to Sloan to Primal Scream. That's not to say Arboretum is derivative, the album is in fact quite the opposite, a refreshingly modern take on the kind of sunny psychedelia that's been reliably pumping on your stereo since the 90s. The key is, of course, the sheer festival-level of guest appearances that keep the show rolling with aplomb, a Moulin Rouge of rock and roll proportions.

Arboretum doesn't mess around when it comes to hooks, building much of each track's structure around big, shout-along moments that repeat with dizzying efficacy.  "Take Me To Your Leader" punches for the sky with an array of supercharged vocal chants delivered with otherworldly magnetism by Death Valley Girls' Bonnie Bloomgarden while "Rock 'N" Roll Revelations" recruits Smokey Brights to couple verses to a riotous refrain that wouldn't be out of place on an alternate universe's Give Out But Don't Give Up.

Acid Tongue manages to tuck a couple slower numbers in among the tracklist, tempering their seemingly boundless momentum with vignettes of deeper reflection. "Suffering For You" stands out, gliding on a silky smooth sax riff that propels guest vocals by soulful songstress Shaina Shepherd into torch song territory to stand with resolute intensity; and Naked Giants bring a textual measure of folk-tinged reverie that snaps with rhythmic delivery on "Won't Walk Back." 

"The World's Gonna Fuck You" closes out the album as aggressive kiss-off, rolling on a confrontational bassline that's equal parts 007 and Get Carter (1971) - impossibly slick and brutally efficient in a manner that would be right at home introducing the suave and deadly leading man in a classic indie action flick. Overflowing with cynicism, "TWGFY" almost feels out of place on Arboretum, standing in direct contact to the nearly universal positivity of the preceding content, but spend a little time inside the track's riffs and rhythms and the muscular attitude gives way to the same kind of celebratory power as the rest of the album. Serving as a cathartic release, "TWGFY" translates negative energy into highly combustible fuel that explodes with a ferocious working-class snarl, refusing to submit to the crushing oppression of the world's various agents of misfortune.

Originally released digitally in December of 2021, Arboretum is getting a second life with the arrival of the long-gestating vinyl pressing as a result of persistently nefarious "supply chain issues," but the wait has been worth it. Mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Philip Shaw Bova, Arboretum sounds fittingly lush while retaining the gritty nuance that defines Acid Tongue's character. Playing this collection of tunes on an analog setup fully expands the roster of supporting talent like the colorful cutouts of a pop-up book rising from the flat pages with a complexity and intricacy that only the vinyl format can deliver.

Arboretum is available now on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. Stream the album on Spotify and follow Acid Tongue on Instagram.

Upcoming Tour Dates
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SEP 7 WED

SUPERSONIC @ 7:00pm

Paris, France

SEP 9 FRI

Ferme de Bionval @ 6:00pm

Écos, France

SEP 9 FRI

Le Pingouin Alternatif @ 8:00pm

Arthez-de-béarn, France

SEP 13 TUE

The Lanes @ 7:30pm

Bristol, United Kingdom

SEP 14 WED

Gullivers @ 7:15pm

Manchester, United Kingdom

SEP 16 FRI

Strongroom Bar @ 8:00pm

London, United Kingdom

SEP 19 MON

CHAFF @ 8:00pm

Bruxelles, Belgium

SEP 21 WED

Muziekcentrum Trix @ 7:30pm

Antwerpen, Belgium

SEP 22 THU

Schalander @ 7:00pm

Kusel, Germany

SEP 24 SAT

Cross Club @ 8:00pm

Prague, Czech Republic

SEP 29 THU

Trenta Formiche @ 8:00pm

Roma, Italy

SEP 30 FRI

Circolo DEV @ 8:00pm

Bologna, Italy

OCT 27 THU

Alex's Bar @ 8:00pm

Long Beach, CA, United States

OCT 28 FRI

The Halloween Freakout @ 7:00pm

Los Angeles, CA, United States

OCT 31 MON

Great American Music Hall @ 8:00pm

San Francisco, CA, United States

NOV 2 WED

Goldfield Trading Post @ 7:30pm

Sacramento, CA, United States