Album Review: Jinx Lennon, PET RENT

Jinx Lennon is an unstoppable force of nature. With PET RENT, he has proven once again that, just when we think we know all the answers, it is time to change the questions.

Over the past couple of years, the bard from the border has treated our lugholes to psychedelic concept albums and cosmic folk. Now, he's serving up his most aggressive, beat-laden collection yet, while tipping a cap to '80s punk.

Part of a hat-trick of upcoming releases, PET RENT is a feral beast, loaded with lyrical jabs aimed at racists, overbearing bosses and TV licence men. An angry record for an angry era (‘My Job Is Killing Me,’ ‘Skivvy’), the Dundalk native’s trademark vocal delivery is turned up to 11 throughout what amounts to a manic dissection of modern Ireland. While PET RENT takes a little longer to digest than previous Jinx records, tracks like ‘You Know Yourself’ (which owes a debt to ‘Crazy Horses’) and ‘Hard Town’ are well worth chewing on. Very tasty indeed.