Vamos – 1-2-3

Vamos
1-2-3
Maximum Pelt
★★★

Come in and bask inside the temple of rock and roll. Vamos is back with a grandeur of rock and roll. A garage rock of Shakespearean prose of three acts: 1-2-3. Three years have passed as this Chicago band crams in as much garage and glam rock as they possibly can. What was finished in 2016, the album was shelved after guitarist/vocalist Ryan Murphy was hit by a car while on his bike, breaking both arms.

One. “Outsider” is the first single from the album, released a year ago and sucked up by Chicago fans. It’s a combination of The Hives coolness and making out in a back alley off Clark. It may be the most accessible thing Vamos has written. Yet, “I Don’t Care” is Vamos sweat all the way. Like a beefed-up Rocky Horror time warp, the three-piece glorifies punk in the most modest of ways. I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care. The statement is clear reaction.

Two. “Boring” is a late night roaming horror punk ode that burns the candle at both ends. Vocals stretching out of tune, it’s the red eye of rock and roll. This is a seedy, blue collar approach to the band’s already seedy ideology. “Creeper” is the party song you want for the witching hour. And if you think they have not sunk into the depths of insanity—a theme the band describes was at the forefront of creativity, “Mental Help” is a vicious breakdown with convulsive power. The guitars create a spiraling noise with three chords being spit out of its vortex.

Three. This is Vamos’ Paradise Regain’d. They have total control over their sound and take Vamos ideology to the next level. Like a glowing b-movie, “Force of Nature” is a rock and roll fantasy that is dirty and devious while “Death on the Run” burns through the cellophane of experimentation. Like eating a fist full of acid, their psychedelic garage rock turns late night into a cosmic ride that ends with the purist punk of “Do Wanna.” This is where Vamos shines into a glorified fireball.