Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression – Album Review by Killian Laher

There’s a sense of finality about Iggy Pop’s latest album, Post Pop Depression, the title alone alludes to a universe without him.. Produced by Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, it’s neither a balls-out Stooges-esque yowl, nor a moody rumination on life a la 1999’s Avenue B. This sits somewhere in between. Opening track Break Into Your Heart is a great way to open, all slinky riffs and Pop crooning “I’m gonna break into your heart, I’m gonna crawl under your skin”. This 68-year old means what he’s singing about, his commanding vocal evokes the late David Bowie as the music sashays in and out around him. Gardenia was the first track released and this one evokes the understated glory of 1977’s The Idiot, a relaxed groove that gets under your skin.

After that things are a little mixed. American Valhalla and In The Lobby are fine mid-album tracks and certainly don’t interrupt the flow, the former culminating in Iggy growling “I’ve nothing but my name”, while two and a half minutes into the QOTSA-groove of the latter he screams “I hope I’m not losing my life TONIIIIYAAAGGHHTTT!” just to be sure we know he hasn’t gone all polite in his dotage. Sunday is something of a centrepiece, it opens like something off 1979’s New Values, all post-punk guitars and uncluttered production before ending on a faux classical coda and weirdly, it works!

Vulture is one of the ropier moments here, it’s a little obvious in an Iggy-does-creepy way with far too much feral groaning from the man himself. German Days is better – it’s the most QOTSA/stoner-rock thing on here, Iggy Pop inhabits the song completely. So as for that sense of finality? Closing track Paraguay has it in spades, Iggy croons moodily about “going where sore losers go” while the band throws the kitchen sink at the track, veering from moody balladry to glam stomp as the aforementioned Iggy embarks on a final foul-mouthed rant.

It’s not quite essential Iggy, along the lines of the first 3 Stooges albums, The Idiot and Lust for Life. But leaving those aside, if you buy into the whole Iggy Pop trip you won’t be disappointed with this.

Tracklist –

1. Break Into Your Heart
2. Gardenia
3. American Valhalla
4. In The Lobby
5. Sunday
6. Vulture
7. German Days
8. Chocolate Drops
9. Paraguay

Gardenia