Album Review: Dunes – Land Of The Blind (Ripple Music)

Newcastle, UK, stoner rock trio Dunes will release their new album, ‘Land of the Blind’, on January 17th, 2025, via Ripple Music. An album that deals with topics of anxiety, the passing of time, relationships and dealing with the general horrors of the outside world… while sprinkling them with glimpses of humour and hope.

Fuzzed out to the point where the teeth are set on edge, but with lashings of desert-soaked groove, Dunes’ new album takes the best parts of the genre, bows down to the riff, throws in plenty of psychedelia, a sprinkling of doom, and so much more. If you’re a fan of the stoner sound in general you will find plenty to enjoy with Dunes, but you’ll also find an addictive mix of the old and the new that leaves a much stronger impression.

It might not be the freshest, but there’s no debating its potency.

Especially as a tinge of psychedelia is present from the start with Cactus. The shimmering rhythm, explosive rock surge, and eventual transformation into something more laidback as the vocals arrive, is great. Setting the stage for an album that thrills, it’s the bar setter, but it doesn’t take long for that to be surpassed. All thanks to thicker, fuzzier, and groovier efforts like Tides, which has a charmingly infectious chorus, and One Eyed Dog, with its robust riffing and anthemic lyrics.

Then, along comes Northern Scar, the first of two tracks that feature a guest. Here we have Nick Carter (formerly of legendary Newcastle post-punk outfit Crane) and what we get is a tempo-switching moody dopamine hit that will have you head banging hard in places. The last couple of minutes of this track is special though. Entering doom territories and with an incredible Nick Carter speech layered in. Later, Ryan Garney of High Desert Queen also guests on the energetic and groovy hit that is Voodoo. Dunes make sure their guests are prominent, and the collaborations prove to be very fruitful.

Elsewhere, Riding the Low is one of the album’s heavier rock focused efforts, body shaking and head banging in equal measures. Then there is How Real is Real, another heady hit of riff-soaked noise that really comes to life in the chorus. Alongside even more anthemic efforts like Fields of Grey and the trippy Riding the Slow. It really is so impressive how Dunes can embrace stoner tropes but deliver them in a fresh sounding way. Right up to the very end, their vigorous approach pleases. This is the stuff that turns heads.

Dunes – Land of the Blind Track Listing:

1. Cactus
2. Tides
3. One Eyed Dog
4. Northern Scar
5. Riding the Low
6. How Real is Real
7. Voodoo
8. Fields of Grey
9. Riding the Slow

Links

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