Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam - Blackout Cowboy

Setting aside the conversation-piece masquerading as a band name (not that sunshine, frisbees, and laserbeams aren’t awesome), Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam have been nothing short of prolific over the past few years. The Birmingham indie-punk five-piece has independently released over a hundred tracks via their Bandcamp page and is now set to release their first ‘official’ full-length, Blackout Cowboy.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the band (and/or might be intimidated by their ever-expanding catalog), Blackout Cowboy offers potential fans an opportunity to check out what Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam is all about. The album-opening “Running From My Ghost” is an infectious DIY rocker while the record’s first single, “All The Way Over The Edge,” pairs rousing psyche-tinged punk with an endearing lo-fi charm.

From there, the record careens back and forth between post-punk workouts (“Adult Memory Ow”, “Blackout Cowboy”), and dreamy power-pop gems (“Meatloaf To The Camera”, “Mind Control”). At times, it almost sounds like these lads decided to throw their collective record collection into a blender and pour the contents onto the tape, but the steady stream of sonic twists and turns somehow works (for the most part).

To that end, Blackout Cowboy is an incredibly confident debut. There’s a tongue-in-cheek vibe that evokes early Pinkerton-era Weezer (before they polished off all of those endearing rough edges). And while there’s a tangible chemistry between the band, it’s the pronounced element of dark-humor that permeates singer Pete Dixon’s lyrical musings that really sets Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam apart from the fray.

After distilling over a hundred pieces of music into the eight solid tracks that comprise Blackout Cowboy, it’s evident that Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam has clearly figured out their modus operandi: all killer, no filler.