Review: AAWKS - Heavy on the Cosmic

AAWKS is a fuzzy quartet from Barrie, Ontario. I featured them as part of the Canuck Spotlight showcase not too long ago. They are about to unleash their first LP, Heavy on the Cosmic, on June 10^th via Black Throne Productions. I always enjoy promoting Canadian artists and it’s even more fun when it’s a band of really good people making excellent music that I happen to dig a lot. And, man, what an absolute trip this album is! As a side note, I think it’s super cool that in a band of three guys and a woman (Randylin Babic), the woman happens to be the drummer. If that’s not girl power, I don’t know what is!

Heavy on the Cosmic is a concept album of sorts. The marvelous album artwork reminds me a bit of Phantasm (1979), one of my favorite horror movies of all-time. The LP opens with “Beyond the Sun” and the fuzz is strong with this one! A spacey, distorted tune that sets the tone for the sonic journey that follows. “Sunshine Apparitions” is a catchy summery song. “The Woods” is trippy and singer/guitarist Kris Dzierzbicki’s vocals here are particularly reminiscent of the band Filter’s frontman Richard Patrick. A definite highlight of the album. Track 4, “All is Fine”, has a doomier vibe, and it may very well be the best song on the record with a riff to die for. It serves as a centerpiece. “The Electric Traveller”, which was the second single, is a stellar track and quite possibly my favorite on here. I just never tire of hearing it. Sixth, we have “Space City”, the first single, a hypnotic tune that channels the band Filter at times. “Star Collider” has rhythm for days and is a chill track that’ll make your head bob. The trip comes to an end with “Peeling Away”, a spaced-out song to make you feel like you’re drifting into outer space.

I think it’s fair to say that the summer season for music releases has officially begun. Heavy on the Cosmic should be your first must-buy album of the season. It’ll spoil you because I believe it will be one of the best records you’ll hear all summer long. It’s just the perfect fix for those lazy summer days when you just want to chill out while drinking some cold brews or when you wanna roll it up, light it up, and smoke it up with some good buddies. It’s also the perfect soundtrack for the skate park. If you’re into fuzzy, spacey stoner rock with hints of doom sprinkled on top, then don’t wait any longer to take a hit of AAWKS’s awesome debut album.

AAWKS on Bandcamp: https://aawks.bandcamp.com/