Lift your spirits with ‘SUMO CYCO - Lost In Cyco City’

Hello and welcome to Rancid Reviews! One of your new ports of call for music

So how is everyone doing? The world has gone kind of crazy at the moment and naturally a lot of people are panicking. It’s not been a great time as of late. Hell! It hasn’t been a great week for me personally. But I want you all to know that despite being apart, for whatever reason, I stand with you. As an artist, as a writer, as a creative person and as a music fan. The main thing I want everyone to remember is to be sensible. By all means look after your loved ones and do what you have to do, but don’t take any unnecessary risks. Don’t do anything stupid.

Everyone has, and will continue to be hit by bad stuff to come. But I think many who have been affected most by current events are music fans, bands and the music industry in general. So many tours and live events have been cancelled. It’s a crying shame. Especially after surviving the music dark age of the 2010’s. This year was shaping up to be a very exciting time for rock music, but I guess some plans have been thrown to the lions. Well, never fear! Your new favourite review writer is here! I’ll be continuing to cover reviews for music fans, (Even if I do come down with the sickness) and I hope my choices will keep you all suitably entertained and positive. As for this week, I was originally going to review I The Mighty, but I think we all need something a bit more apt for our current situation. So today, i’m going to be reviewing ‘Lost In Cyco City’ by the band, SUMO CYCO. Hopefully this album will get you up on your feet, while staying safe and sound in the comfort of your own home.

So who is SUMO CYCO? Well, they’re a Canadian Alternative-Metal band who began their tireless career in 2011. Despite signing with the touring label, TKO (The Kirby Organization Booking Agency), the band’s success and start off came from their independence. They have released three studio albums since their formation, have written a crazy amount of songs from start to present, filmed all of their own music videos, and promoted themselves independently with their strong online presence. I have a bit of a thing for independent bands, especially when they’re doing something that’s a bit different, or not commercially recognized as successful. But, SUMO CYCO’s monstrous work ethic and unique personal quota have earned them a strong and loyal fan base throughout. Within the last few years you may have also read about them in Kerrang! Magazine, and seen them on tour with acts such as Hollywood Undead and The Birthday Massacre, to name a few.

Musically, the band have strong inspiration roots in metal acts such as System Of A Down, Rob Zombie, and Skindred while also utilizing softer influences such as No Doubt and the Dancehall music genre. This band combines bruising, heavy riffs and blast beats with catchy, chanting choruses and strong rhythm. Another strong selling point for SUMO CYCO is their artistic, DIY approach to making and filming music videos. As far as I know, most of their sets, costumes and any animation used are all created by the band members, and it’s amazing. The visual aesthetic has a kind of Tim Burton feel to it, but with apocalyptic themes, creepy monster battles and bucket loads of B-movie effects. If you read my review last week for the band Schoolyard Heroes, then you know that I’ve got a bit of a love affair for horror. But where Horror-Punk bands might use this display of monsters, fighting and rioting to talk about angst and gruesome murder, SUMO CYCO uses it to tell a story of a different world. One that’s alien, weird and wacky, yet one known for its sense of humour, action and character. It was something that attracted me to this band when I was eighteen, and I have no doubt it’s something that will attract many of you too.

Perhaps the best example of the band’s unbeatable efforts and creative output is their debut album, ‘Lost In Cyco City’, which was released in 2013-2014. If I were to ignore the many music videos that the band created, i’d say this album is about someone, anyone, fighting off the darkness and the evils of the world, not only to achieve their dreams in life, but to survive life in general. ‘Lost In Cyco City’ seems to be a stream of fast and heavy anthems, each one geared towards its own personal way of inspiring and strengthening its listeners to face up to, and deck in every issue that comes their way. That’s actually a really nice message to get from a band’s first release. I think this album is a great spirit lifter for anyone, but I feel that young women, LGBTQ+ youth or anyone of a certain minority will feel what this release is going for and take it as their new personal soundtrack. Not only is it different, not only is it a perfect mix of catchy and heavy, but it balances its message of positive drive and dream chasing to amazing levels. 

‘Lost In Cyco City’ is a fantastic first release for an independent band. While the props, costumes and sets for the music videos are gloriously DIY, the recording and production is professionally perfect. I honestly don’t think any band could’ve done a better job for their first album. Every song is fueled with a tank-like rhythm and propelled by Heavy Metal, Rock and Dance inspired guitar, bass and drums. The vocals, clean and unclean are kick arse and bombastic, with a tone and energy not too dissimilar from Benji Webbe, the lead singer of Skindred. But before you think this album is just a soundtrack for punching and shooting people, take a moment to read the unique and characterful lyrics. This is the kind of work I’d be expecting from a band on their third studio album! While clearly geared towards fighting the good fight against personal issues, the original writing and association of these lyrics will leave an open veil for listeners to paint their own unique picture of interpretation. 

Of course, as I have mentioned before, no first album is absolutely perfect, (Even if these guys do come pretty close). While the recording and quirky sampling of ‘Lost In Cyco City’ is impressive, on a first listen it might be hard to notice many, if any songs that distinctively stand out amongst others. This album is a strong start for a band who know what they’re about and have a keen sense of their own identity. But this centers them very much into a specific area of music, and even if every song on the list is good, it also means that together, they sound very similar to each other. It can make for a difficulty in deciphering differences and unique properties from one song to the next. It is worth mentioning however that a fair few songs on this album will reward your patience with cut in, experimental interludes and bridges, inspired by Reggae, Dancehall, Rap, Progressive Rock and Latin music. If you did want to ease your way into this album first, i’d recommend listening to songs, ‘The Ugly’, ‘Fighter’, ‘Brave’, ‘Cry Murder’, and ‘My Name Is Rock’n’Roll’. In my personal opinion they stand out as fun, honest and meaningful songs and I hope they help you to find the fighter within.  But generally, if you want to try something a bit different, then give this album a fair go. You might not get it at first. It might even annoy you a bit. But at the very least, it’s something you can dance and have fun to.

I think initially when I was trying to figure out something to review this week, I was trying to think of bands which gave me a positive feeling, whether by their music or their lyrical content. After listening to ‘Lost In Cyco City’ and talking about it a little, I think I chose the right album. Now, understandably, some of you might not agree with me. You might give this a try and think ‘I really hate this, it's annoying crap.’ or ‘This is just so not appropriate for this period in time’. And you know what? Maybe you’re right. Listening to an album with lots of brutal, heavy music featuring some apocalyptic themes might not exactly be what you’re looking for right now. But actually, I think this album is kind of perfect for this moment in time.

It’s a musical escape from a situation that isn’t ideal, like a mini mental holiday. It’s entertaining and certainly very creatively put together, ensuring a lot of dancing and fun times while you self isolate. But more to the point, it’s actually very easy to relate to. Things aren’t going so great right now in the world, and being frank, it’s not likely to get better any time soon. We’re all going to be facing certain challenges and worrying prospects in the weeks, if not months, to come. It’s going to be hard. Some people are probably already suffering because of these changes. But another thing that’s so important to remember is not give up hope. To keep fighting on and stay positive. And this album is perfect for that. It understands how challenging life can be. It knows people’s pain, and fears and that the world is actually a scary place. But it tells the fear to go fuck itself and keeps chugging on, because it knows that if we don’t move, we might as well be dead. I’m not saying that we need to follow this album word for word and start rioting or living like it’s the end times. That Is Not My Message Here! But I’m saying that we need to follow this band's example, and keep our spirits up. Look after ourselves and our loved ones, both physically and emotionally. Because one way or another, even if it’s going to take some time, we’re all going to get through this dark period. This album knows as well as I do, that one way or another, we’re all going to be okay.

So for being a pretty awesome band who I wish the best of luck to during this turbulent time, I give SUMO CYCO a decent 7/10. They’re not my favourite group, but they know how to write a good song. As for the album ‘Lost In Cyco City’ i’m inclined to give it an 8.5/10, not only for being a fun collection of songs, but for having the potential to keep us upbeat.

The last thing I want to do before I go is reinstate what I said earlier. I stand with you. I will continue to be writing reviews while all the bad stuff is going on, and hopefully I'll bring a smile to your faces too. Keep safe everyone, and i'll be back next week. I love you all.