I really can’t think of a better way to kick-start my 2023 than with ‘Every Loser’, Iggy Pop’s 19th solo album, released via a partnership between Atlantic Records and Gold Tooth Records.

Four years after his last solo record, 2019’s largely spoken word and sombre affair ‘Free’. ‘Every Loser’ sees Mr Osterberg Jr teaming up with hotshot producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Watt. A man I last saw having an onstage meltdown with a soundman for not doing his job properly before slamming his guitar headstock first into the monitors, so whilst his production client list might range from Lana Del Ray via Justin Beiber to Ozzy Osbourne, I’ve witnessed the guy’s inner Iggy…and let’s not forget by also played guitar on Glenn Hughes’ best album in decades, the excellent ‘California Breed’, and that’s how I got witness his outburst.

Cranking the Wharfdales up (Jesus I really am starting to sound like Tommy Saxondale) in anticipation of a return to Iggy’s more rockier moments, opener and lead single ‘Frenzy’ certainly doesn’t disappoint. Built around the rock-solid rhythmic backbone of Duff McKagan and Chad Smith. Iggy is back to his potty-mouth best spitting out the profanities at will whilst Watt places the guitar somewhere between Asheton and Jones. Incendiary stuff!

It’s the second teaser from ‘Every Loser’ that got me excited most first of hearing it though, the goth pop of ‘Strung Out Johnny’ sounding like the best 69 Eyes (stop laughing at the back) song they never wrote. Seriously this is Iggy at his infectious best and save for a few f-bombs this could have been a huge radio hit back in the day.

The Igg-ster is no heritage act though and ‘New Atlantis’ is the near perfect amalgamation of his latter-day love of the spoken word and the desert rock leanings he took onboard during ‘Post Pop Depression’, and just like the tracks that precede it the hook is a true killer Iggy. Albeit these days, granted it’s in a slightly lower register.

‘Modern Day Rip-Off’ is the first time I get a sense of the Stooges raising their middle finger to proceedings as that rigid digit is used to play the one note piano riff that underpins yet another set of vitriolic Iggy lyrics, Smith, McKagan and Watt meanwhile sound like they are having the time of their lives.  I bet Duff wishes his day job band still sounds this alive….and their singer is nowhere near 75 years of age, and speaking of which, even Iggy needs a little breather from time to time and here it comes in the shape of side 1 closer ‘Morning Show’. 

Dropping the needle on side two and it’s the kooky ‘The News For Andy’ that gets things off to a great start. Iggy once again talking his way through an almost Bowie–esque curveball that is over all too quickly.

‘Neo Punk’ is the track a lot of journalists have been picking out as the possible standout on ‘Every Loser’, and yes it does indeed rock in seismic proportions, but for all its bluster it’s the track that follows it, ‘All The Way Down’ that really impresses me most.  Again, it’s got that Stooges one finger piano in parts but just like ‘Strung Out Johnny’ on side one this beauty has me reaching for the volume control to turn things up even louder, and that’s got to be the first time in around three decades I’ve said that about a song featuring Stone Gossard on guitar (look, before I get shot for this, it’s an in-joke okay).

Fellow grunge superstar Eric Avery plucks out the bass intro to ‘Comments’ and that mid 80s post punk influence his old band used to play about with to maximum effect is here in abundance. The keyboard touches from multi-instrumentalist and Gossard band mate Josh Klinghoffer are an absolute delight and working his magic on the hi-hats there’s the sadly departed Taylor Hawkins. He must have been so proud to have played on this album, and in hindsight, what a way to bow out.

‘My Animous Interlude’ and ‘The Regency’ close out ‘Every Loser’, and it’s a song pairing where it’s impossible to separate them. The former providing a glimpse of Banshees like spoken word charm before the latter has Iggy spitting out “Fuck The Regency (Up)” over a hook that somehow manages to give Siouxsie and Co a late 80s Guns N’ Roses makeover before spiralling off into 4AD territory for the album’s final grooves.

Having pretty much everything Iggy Pop has ever produced within my music collection and enjoying most, if not all of it, (yup even the French stuff) this album really is right up there with the very best of Iggy’s illustrious back catalogue, and I just can’t wait to hear these songs live. So, roll on Dog Day Afternoon, every loser has to be there.

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Author: Johnny Hayward

https://everyloser.iggypop.com

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