It’s hard to be mad at something so self-aware; many of my gripes with this album are not only known to the band, but reasons for its existence. Cuts like the boisterous ‘Miami’ and the quietly moving ‘Mona’ showcase a vibrant ear, but the record’s depth is nonetheless limited by overlying mischief and sleazy dispositions. While LSPOE is oddly sweet, it certainly fails to live up to the epic proportions of the title. But again, rather than being born from abject oversights, the rudimentary grooves and vocals are expressions of Divino Niño’s tongue-in-cheek, subversive impulses. Picture watching a good singer drunkenly performing karaoke—it is invariably executed with a raw charm.
20/30
A favourite: ‘Miami’
‘Last Spa on Earth’ is out now via Winspear.
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