Friday Freebie: Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys - BUNKER BUDS

We all have come to expect a new album from Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys every March from the RPM Challenge in February. This year also saw an April Stay Home Make Music challenge, which means Walter Sickert has crafted a new album under quarantine. Now quarantine is making us all a little loopier than normal, and we all know the bizarre and twisted musical world Sickert occupies, so what will happen to their musical output? Turns out they have gone mainstream? Almost? "Poison Queen of New Orleans" sounds like it would be a typical Army of Toys murderous jam, but it's a fairly standard folk song. Well, standard as far as Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys gets. This would still be weirdo music from your average band, but compared to what we're used to from this band of steamcrunkers, BUNKER BUDS is practically Jack Johnson. "Let Love Be the Way" is a creepy folk song, but it's also downright lovely. "Sister Knives" is the most like what we've come to expect from Walter Sickert, but stripped down to just them and a guitar, it's practically a ramblin' folk song. It's not until the fifth song of Bunker Buds that things get weird. "Don't Panic Attack - Now for Something Completely Different" is once again weird, but not for Sickert. The weirdest thing about this is that it flirts with being a pop song. Like Ariana Grande/Billie Eilish style pop. "Bunker Buds Theme" is less than a minute and a half but lets Sickert finally let loose their hip hop side that gets hinted at in concert. It says a lot when an artist's weirdest work ends up being their most accessible. But I suppose that's the Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys way.

You can listen to "Poison Queen of New Orleans" below. BUNKER BUDS, the new release from Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys is available now via their Bandcamp. Bandcamp is waiving all fees today, so be sure to toss them a few bucks. If you choose the free option, be sure to give them a follow on Facebook and Twitter.