Some albums follow a straight line. Scizzorman prefer to take the scenic route, disappear down a strange side road and return with something you were not expecting. The Australian alternative funk-rock and psychedelic outfit make their return with How To Get Your Life Right With What’s Left, a seven-track concept album that throws funk, glam, psychedelia, stoner rock, swamp blues and retro grooves into the same colourful melting pot.
The album arrives after a post-pandemic break and a period of writer’s block, but there is little evidence of creative hesitation in the finished record. Across just over 30 minutes, Scizzorman move between strange observations, sharp humour, existential questions and moments of genuine reflection, all connected by a desire to make sense of a world that increasingly feels difficult to understand.
At the centre of the chaos is drummer and vocalist Terry J Vinci, whose unpredictable lyrics give the record much of its personality. Cody Robson anchors the songs with slick, fluid bass, while Stewart Herbertson brings guitar and synthesizer textures that help push the music from one unexpected corner to another. Their contrasting vocal parts add even more character to a record that clearly has no interest in following a formula.
The influences are just as varied. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frank Zappa, Arctic Monkeys, Talking Heads, David Bowie, The Beatles, The Dandy Warhols and Jimi Hendrix all form part of the wider musical landscape, but Scizzorman never sound like they are simply looking backwards. Instead, they take familiar ingredients and throw them into something considerably stranger, heavier and more playful.
From the fractured movement of “The Lesser-known (Pts 1-3)” and the uneasy observations of “The Next Gen Is Broken” to “Mystical Yeast” and the closing “Get With The Program”, the album constantly shifts its mood without losing its identity. Seasoned engineer Adrian Vinci helps hold those contrasting elements together, giving the record enough clarity to let its more eccentric ideas breathe.
How To Get Your Life Right With What’s Left ultimately feels like an album made for anyone who has looked at the modern world, laughed at the absurdity of it all and then wondered what the hell they are supposed to do next. Scizzorman do not offer a neat set of answers. They offer seven tracks, plenty of noise, a healthy dose of irreverence and an invitation to question what we have been told, embrace the unexpected and perhaps find a few new values along the way.
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