A lot has changed since Black Grape released their last LP, Pop Voodoo. Shaun Ryder was diagnosed with ADHD in 2020 and lost his brother Paul, and Kermit (Paul Leveridge) lost his father just days before the duo headed out to the Spanish mountains of Granada with producer Youth to record this album.
Nonetheless, the duo’s creative process remains unchanged, “We have a drink, and we bang our heads together, and we just get on with it… (And) have a good laugh.”
The album opener, “Button Eyes”, is impressive, featuring chilled and sophisticated Latin and Cuban sounds with saxophone whilst Ryder goofs, “I find it funny that I can’t sing…” The track has an element of gangster, too, as if there’s some unconscious link to Carlos the Jackal. “Button Eyes” gives way to “Dirt”, which blends Black Grape’s Manchester-based sound with hip-hop amidst Spaghetti Western harmonica.
Much of Orange Head pays homage to the nineties club scene. For instance, Deee-Lite’s infectiousness is present from the outset of “Panda”, which also sees Shaun reflect on his mortality with this deft lyric: “were getting old like the Rolling Stones”. “Self Harm” also honours the nineties but leans closer to the It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah, orthodoxy. “Quincy” mixes nineties sounds with those from the sixties.
The catchiest songs from this LP include “Milk” and “Pimp Wars”. The former masters the bass with a hypnotic beat that commands dancing. The latter oozes funk brilliance with a perfect union of jazz arrangements and organs, and as with opener “Button Eyes”, the feeling that a heist is about to go down.
From the catchiest comes the standout track, the almost seven-minute-long “In the Ground,” which deals with the bereavements the duo recently had. The fast opener is reminiscent of a catchy hip-hop anthem juxtaposed with melodica; the lyrics detail challenging relationships. Listening is intended to be unnerving, especially with the closing psychedelic and ethereal strings, as this song’s creation process was. “Sex on the Beach” closes the album with the lyric “I’ll tie you up and put you in my zoo” amidst rock and reggae beats alongside barking dog sounds – it’s real and heavy.
Black Grape claims to be “vegetarian and very PC people now” who intend to celebrate the anniversaries of their previous LPs with “slice(s) of cake” instead of heroin. Whilst this change is welcome and positive, it’s a relief that their creative songwriting process hasn’t changed, enabling Shaun and Kermit to create an LP that pays homage to the nineties while also being forward-looking.
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