Album Review: Death By Unga Bunga – Heavy Male Insecurity

Norway’s Death By Unga Bunga may not be on everyone’s radar but they have a long history having released their debut long player ‘Juvenille Jungle’ back in 2010. Averaging an album every couple of years since then, February 2021 sees the release of their sixth, ‘Heavy Male Insecurity’. With a handful of lead up singles already released in 2020, ‘Live Until I Die’, ‘Not Like The Others’ and, most recently, ‘Egocentric’. 2020 also saw the band creating their own streaming show ‘Once Upon A Time in Deadwood City’ as well as making their own beer. Those who appreciate decent support bands with loads of swagger may, in the past, have been lucky enough to catch Death By Unga Bunga supporting big names such as Stiff Little Fingers in the USA or Ash in the UK. 

‘Heavy Male Insecurity’ continues their blend of hard rock ‘n’ roll whisked together with punchy power punk and delivers 10 slices of irresistible, catchy, singalong, hook laden songs that after the disaster that was 2020 usher in 2021 with a positively uplifting vibe. Yet underneath the upbeat sound and jump around beats there’s some real messages being hammered home. Death By Unga Bunga have always thrown their arms wide to welcome in those who feel a little on the outside, who don’t want to grow up in the way that society would often like to dictate and who refuse to conform to stereotypes too often promoted by the likes of Trump. Their recent single ‘Egocentric’ states “The egocentric mind has no empathy for others and their opinions. Something you’d expect from a child, but it’s often still the case for a grown man. It’s OK to be selfish sometimes, but it doesn’t mean you have to be a dick all the time”. 

‘Heavy Male Insecurity’ knocks you around with one slab of power pop-punk after another. From the opener ‘Modern Man’ that is all pounding drums and slicing twin guitars producing a sound that wouldn’t be out of place on any decent Ramones album, topped with a chorus that would have any fun loving Dirt Box Disco fan stretching their vocal chords to full capacity. ‘Heavy Male Security’ is an album that delivers huge melodies, instantly memorable choruses, good time stomping beats forced out in Death By Unga Bunga’s own particular way. An album to be played when you want to forget the bad times, when you want to leap around, when you want a singalong or just when you want to hear some huge tunes that are full of life. 

‘Heavy Male Insecurity’ can be pre-ordered on “Erotic Picture Disc”, “Masculine Pink vinyl”, “Black Insecure Vinyl”, “Modern CD” and download from Bandcamp here.  

‘Heavy Male Insecurity’ can also be pre ordered from Jansen Records here.