Liquid Mike—Hell is an Airport

Within seconds of "Instantly Wasted" starting, I was hit with the same feeling I had the first time I heard Weezer’s breakout album, a record I still play more than 30 years after its release. The music carries that same infectious energy, but the vocals are gentler, giving the band a distinct sound that’s entirely their own.

And in the blink of an eye, "Lit From the Wrong End" kicks in, almost literally, since the previous track barely hit the 90-second mark and this one is even shorter. It carries the same vibrant energy and instantly made me long for summer, now sadly just a memory. With both tracks, I couldn’t help wishing they went on a little longer. After all, even the Beatles rarely wrapped things up in under two minutes.

"Crop Circles" feels almost like a continuation of the previous track, offering barely a beat’s pause between them. Perhaps that yearning for longer songs was something the band anticipated, as this one plays like an extension of its predecessor, just a touch more laid back in rhythm and stretching out to that magical two and a half minute mark.

Flow seems to be something the band is very conscious of, as once again "Double Dutch" begins within a hair’s breadth of the previous track. Yet this one brings a subtle shift in tone, a little more punch, a little more attitude. There’s a freshness to it that keeps the momentum going without feeling repetitive, suggesting the band knows exactly how to balance continuity with variety.

I’m not sure if it’s my setup, but the bass drum on "AT&T" feels a bit overpowering, almost to the point of giving me a headache, even after testing on two different sets of headphones. I tried streaming it on both YouTube Music and Spotify with the same result. It’s a shame, because otherwise the track fits perfectly within the flow of the release.

"Selling Swords" introduces a slightly softer sound, and I hope the band doesn’t shoot me for saying this, but it instantly brought to mind early Hootie & the Blowfish. I’m not sure why that comparison might be seen as negative, Cracked Rear View is another killer album I still return to often. There’s something in the blend of vocals and musical phrasing here that echoes that same warmth and accessibility. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s where my mind went.

When "Meteor Hammer" begins, it initially feels like the band is steering away from the sound of the previous tracks. But within seconds, the lead guitar cuts in and pulls everything right back into familiar territory. By the time the song wraps up, it feels as though barely any time has passed, a testament to how engaging it is.

Another standout track, "Grand Am" fits seamlessly with the rest of the album, though it carries a noticeable flaw. At just 91 seconds, it’s one of the shorter pieces, but it doesn’t simply end, it stops mid-flow, as if cut off abruptly. I noticed the same on all the streaming services I tried. It might spark conversation, but it feels more like a production misstep, which is a shame given how strong the track otherwise is.

With "Groucho Marx" the opening sets certain expectations, only for the track to flip them almost immediately. Not that it’s a bad thing, the bait-and-switch approach keeps you on your toes and adds a playful unpredictability to the song.

Although the previous track ends fairly definitively, "'99" begins almost like a reprise, with the tail of the last song fading out as this one fades in. In my mind, it feels as if the album was originally sequenced differently and then reshuffled, giving an intriguing sense of continuity and surprise.

I think "Claws" is the track that all the earlier, heavier intros were building toward, and from my perspective, it certainly doesn’t disappoint. It hits with a satisfying punch, blending the energy and tension of the preceding tracks into a fully realised moment.

Blink and you'll miss "Bad Lung" which comes in at a blistering 77 seconds. Part of me feels like this is a cheat. But I'll touch on that more in the closing of this review.

I couldn’t help but approach the next track, "Liam Gallagher" with a sense of wonder and anticipation. Would it be homage, damning with faint praise, or outright character assassination, all things, I think, we’ve at one time or another considered about Mr. G? In the end, it was none of the above. Apart from a faintly Oasis-esque sound, Mr. G emerges unscathed. No insults, no platitudes, just an abstraction of flavour that keeps the track rocking.

With the final track, "Hell is an Airport" there’s something noticeably different. While much of the band’s signature sound is still present, it feels as if it was recorded at another time, from a different album, or perhaps even with a slightly different lineup. Regardless, it’s a cracking track and a fitting way to close out the album, leaving a strong final impression.

There was a band whose name kept nagging at me throughout listening to this album. It took a bit of mental digging, or rather, a quick Google whistled search to pin it down. Blink-182. For me, the song that instantly came to mind was "All the Small Things". While this album clearly stands on its own, it’s possible that Blink-182 served as a subtle influence on the band’s sound.

This is Liquid Mike’s sixth album, and it's great to discover a new band whose back catalogue I can now explore. There are 14 tracks, but at 34 minutes, the album is on the shorter side. With a critical ear, you might say many of the tracks are too brief, but with that ear turned off, the music speaks for itself. Still, I can’t help wondering what a 10-track album closer to 40 minutes would have sounded like. Perhaps the band has already delivered something like that, in which case it’s down to me to dig into their earlier work, or hope for it on the next release.