Stuffed Foxes: Standardized (Stolen Body Records)

French psych / noise rock troupe unleash excellent second album

Released Dec 6th, 2024 via Stolen Body Records / By Richard Lewis
Stuffed Foxes: Standardized (Stolen Body Records) A going concern since 2019, French outfit Stuffed Foxes trade in maximalist psych and noise rock missives, crucially balancing the sandblasting ultravolume blow outs with stretches of calm reflection. The Tours based band’s second LP, Standardized was recorded live (at what sounds like near-defeaning volume), in the Rennes studio of regular collaborator producer, Thomas Poli with mastering handled by Spiritualized associate Matt Colton.

Opening blast Biting the Dawn and key track I Heard About Love in a Book call Mercury Rev to mind with their widescreen, heart bursting emotion. Merry Xmas unsurprisingly didn’t trouble Michael Buble and Wham’s radio play dominance during the just-gone festive season, being an intense noise rock eruption that gives way to a prettily Sonic Youth style apreggiated instrumental section.

Arriving at fully formed songs via endless jamming, the sextets’ musical simpatico is showcased in Pretend To Be a Dog (Gamelle) (which translates as dog bowl), which toggles between calm and all-out screaming guitar apocalypse as easily as flicking a switch. In calmer waters drone rock missive Rough Up in complete contrast shimmers along like Spiritualized at their softest.

The sound of several guitars thrown into a turbine backed by a fire alarm, the axe mangling Bees would give No Wavers Swans nightmares, while the title track resurrects The Stone Roses practice of spooling tracks backwards and augmenting them with additional instrumentation. Concluding in restful fashion, Return brings the volume right down with little more than a vocal part and two strummed electric guitars.

The group’s first release through Bristol based label Stolen Body Records and with a UK debut tour in the offing, these crepuscular creatures are venturing out beyond dusk. 4/5