High On Ripple, by Dragged Up (2024)

1.

The bookmark that juts from your BibleIs patterned with smiling bearsWith their saccharine, scaredDrawn-on faces They whimper unanswered prayersPop stickers cover your BibleLike a greying and gathering mouldLeaving ghostly gum imprints behind themAs you pick at their flakes and grow oldQuam SingulariJezu Słodki!Eyes burnt by transubstantiation,I'm blind in my subjugationTo a wedding dressUnder the veilChild bride of ChristYou’ve broken the back of your BibleIts spine of inoperable stringsHangs slack in a library laminateWhilst you think on involuntary thingsYou are never without your first BibleFor your whole adult life it sits tightMaimed and unread in your pocketAnd silently spoiling each nightQuam SingulariJezu Słodki!Hands burnt by my temptation,I'm weak in my supplication To the devil's breastUnder the veilChild bride of ChristUnder the veilChild bride of ManLJ & EG

2.

You’ve become a reflexA muscle memorySomething I don’t seeAn unclaimed used-to-beYou’ve become a reflexA muscle memorySomething I don’t seeAn unclaimed used-to-beYour face, can’t place, you’re killing meYour photo-fit facsimileYour voice so clear and yet so farA synapse snaps and there you areA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyYou’ve become a conceptSomething ill-definedI grimace from a distanceTrying to be kindYou’ve become a conceptSomething ill-definedI grimace from a distanceTrying to be kindYour face, can’t place, you’re killing meYour photo-fit facsimileYour voice so clear and yet so farA synapse snaps and there you areA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyYour face, can’t place, you’re killing meYour photo-fit facsimileYour voice so clear and yet so farA synapse snaps and there you areA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copyA copy of a copy of a copy of a copy- LJ

3.

Sun-bleachedWarped cardJumbo Cut-Outs Of The StarsMissing lower left armShop-bought face of static calmVicarious living! Brought back at last!She’s anyone’s friendWhen the copyright’s passedCarry her round BudgensCarry her through townCarry her to Parents’ Night Carry her upside downLong drives to ex-wives Strapped into the FordThe card gets bent about the neckCar boot sale once you’re boredLife-Size MarilynLife-Size Lara CroftLife-Size Jennifer AnistonLife-Size Carmen ElectraLoyal as dogsThere for youLike the coathanger mimicsThe human shoulderLike the coathanger mimics The human shoulder -LJ

4.

Nah nah nah nah nah nah La Vida de Rodilla Shhhhh.. Cool your jets…I first encounter my plastic likeness In a shop window On a friendless afternoon in 1980I am fourteen, she is a US Size FourI wear a tracksuit patterned with cartoon miceShe wears a fishnet dress Over a fluorescent swimsuitI hide under matted hairShe stares eyelessly Through smash-proof glass As overheating spotlights Bounce off of her bald headIt is something To aspire toNah nah nah nah nah nah La Vida de Rodilla Shhhhh.. Cool your jets…Eight years later I am charged With stockroom duty in the same storeMy daydream souring as I grapple With a new shipment Of bubble-wrapped mannequinsI match heads to necks and legs to thighsUnpeeling swathes of plastic From kind-eyed disembodied faces And torsos with cut-glass hipbones, US Size TwoWhen my wordless colleague Leaves the room for a momentI steal a glance at the mirror In the corner and find myself lackingNah nah nah nah nah nah La Vida de Rodilla Shhhhh.. Cool your jets…The century endsAnd I have worked my way up To Deputy Part Time Window DresserLate nights are spent pinning polyester Around frail resin waistsMy focus broken occasionally By a bang on the glass From a passing stag partyOr a set of reddened eyes Staring and staring from a parked carExposed to this nocturnal audience Whilst I struggle to loop a fake arm No bigger than a child’s Through a Size Nil blouseI wonder if they are comparing me to herMy clumsy contorted flesh Versus her immaculate deadnessBefore slipping on a discarded wig And colliding with the windowpaneI feign polite interest As my life flashes before my eyesAnd I hope that there’s a next timeNah nah nah Nah nah nahLa vida de rodilla ShhhhhCool your jetsShhhhhCool your jetsWords by LJ (With abridged chorus lyrics by EG)

5.

Anna HomeWhen did you come from?Anna HomeWhen you comin home?Back when you madeThe DopplegangerIt’s mirror eyesSharp as glassCut my childish mindin two..The Young Person's Guide To Going Backwards In The WorldBack when all I knew ....Suicide SaturdaysMoulding strange facesBlank Generation BeachBreaking my nose,When all was out of reach...The blood clots formingInside my noseThe clay that squeezedIn-between toes‘The Changes’ which formulated your dreamsYou passed them back to me it seemsAnna HomeWhen did you come from?Anna HomeDid you belong?Anna HomeYou slipped out from my dreamsDramarama-rama,Anna Margaret HomeDramarama-rama,Anna Margaret HomeThe Young Person's Guide To Going Backwards In The World- EG

6.

In Santa MiraSomething’s creeping nearerDon’t look in the mirrorThere’s something to fear-ahOn the seventh day God hung up her pegBut Boo Boo’s hanging in on Her eighth legYears are turning into daysShe’s crawling around in a dazeDevising her diabolical stageProfessor Boo Boo invents the PlagueA scholar scornedIn a world cursedOn the Sabbath you're Born AgainBut under-rehearsedShe turned her mind into a webWith formulas inside her headThe Petri dish in the kitchen sinkDisease spreading like black inkFirst we laughed, then we coughedThen our ears and nails fell offAnd now we’re leakingOrange fluid..Boo Boo’s the one who foresew itOn the seventh day God Hung out to dryBut Boo Boo’s hanging ontoHer eighth eyeSpinning into a biblical rageProfessor Boo Boo Invents the PlagueYoo HooProfessor Boo Boo Boo HooProfessor Boo BooWho knew?Professor Boo Boo- EG

7.

It’s an active volcanoShiftCrackFracturesThe heat beneath our feetThe magma rises buoyantlyKagu-tsuchiForged into mythBefore you and meGeothermal energyForged before you and meForged into mythIt’s an active volcanoForged in the earthBefore you and meKagu-tsuchiForged into mythBefore you and meGeothermal energyThis is whereForged into mythThis is whereForged before you and meThe third level comes inShift, CrackFractures Oil - well? Oil - well?Conspiracy theorists!Divergent boundariesThe heat beneath our featThe Polynesians knew this She who shapes, the sacred land-EG

Following the 2023 Hex Domestic EP and the Missing Person single, Dragged Up present their second album, High On Ripple.

Drawing its title from the teenage trash-talk of Martin Scorsese’s 1974 movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, High On Ripple sees Dragged Up expanding on the lo-fi garage scuzz of their debut with Sabbath-esque doom (Professor Boo Boo), ethereal spoken word (Die Tryin’) and deconstructed glam-punk (Young Person’s Guide). The album’s cover, inspired by Japanese woodcut art, works in tandem with closer Third Level, which juxtaposes mythological imagery to depict Western culture’s disharmony with nature.
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"Following a path that began with the lo-fi art-punk of 2020’s debut D/U, High On Ripple sees the band build on the momentum of last years cult smash follow up Hex Domestic EP in epic, sprawling style.

From the heady tension and release of opener Bible Study through to Third Level’s breathtaking psychedelic explosion, there is a kaleidoscopic, all-consuming energy at play that renders any talk of genre or reference points fantastically obsolete.

Whilst tracks like Missing Person and Young Person’s Guide To Going Backwards In The World prove the group’s propensity for an ear-worm hook, they are always but a heartbeat away from unexpected, uncharted territory. It’s an anything goes ethos that is relentlessly captivating.

As ever, Dragged Up have boldly followed their creative instincts, free of expectation or outside influence. Songs within songs, moments within moments, forever on the brink of their next minor sonic miracle." - Fran Carylon heavymetalkids.blog
heavymetalkids.music.blog/2024/03/27/dragged-up-high-on-ripple/

"Dragged Up are maybe your new favourite Velvets / Black Sabbath / Crass inspired group, ok? I went to see them last week and they’re on fire at the moment. Another one of those groups you think you’ve got the gist on before they turn on a dime and dive into a different pool of sound.. First song Bible Study kind of has everything in under 5 minutes, including a brilliant double speed Honey Bane cut throat part before dropping back down to a loose VU chug. Missing Person feels like a death glam funk group produced by Joe Meek while set highlight and album closer Third Level crunches on the Psychedelia pedal for almost 9 mins of criss-crossing guitar jamming bliss." - Michael Kasparis, Monorail Music

'No matter how many times you listen, you are still unsure of what turns will be taken, meaning that each experience, so far at least, has offered something new. There’s influences far and wide on show, from the streets of New York, Patti Smith, to The Slits and the Raincoats.’ - Iain Key, Louder Than War
louderthanwar.com/dragged-up-high-on-ripple-album-review

‘Dragged Up are a bunch of b*stards. Their members are the orphaned offspring of some of Glasgow's most lairy psych rock progenitors. The grinding, primordial drone of VOM, the elliptical punk of Las Mitras. and the riffy eccentricity of Trembling Bells streak through their new EP like sweetcorn through sh*te, binding it with some contradictory impulses. There's a chaos that was lacking in some of their antecedents but also a coherence. It's cack- handed but also learned. This tightrope walk of unpredictability and assuredness makes it a thrilling listen’
- Alex Neilson, Moof Magazine

'The varied elements brought by each member results in something unique, refreshing and thrilling. I've been blown away by this. High On Ripple proves Dragged Up are really one of the more exciting groups around.’ - Compulsion Online
compulsiononline.com/dragged-up-high-on-ripple.htm

"..Die Tryin’ is even more impressive, recalling the influential lo-fi art-rock of The Velvet Underground as well as the blissful dream-pop of Galaxie 500. One of the album’s more progressive, experimental pieces it demonstrates that Dragged Up aren’t some ramshackle tuneless DIY weekend hobby affair with limited appeal. Instead, it demonstrates an intelligence and clarity of vision of a band twice their lifespan...
I have had High On Ripple on repeat ever since acquiring a copy, which for me is a true mark of an album resonating. Outstanding"
- Reza Mills, The Sleeping Shaman
www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/dragged-up-high-on-ripple

"Another solid set from this Glaswegian quintet. Dragged Up’s aesthetic recalls the powerful Olympia/Scotland connection of the late 80s, with its mix of fuzz, whimsy and rhythms."
- Byron Coley, The Wire Issue 484
www.thewire.co.uk/issues/484

'It's fair to say we love Dragged Up, and High On Ripple may infatuate you, too.' - Chris Sneddon, SNACK mag Scotland
snackmag.co.uk/album-review-high-on-ripple-by-dragged-up

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“One of our favourite discoveries of last year…It’s thrilling stuff. They keep surprising and keep delivering and it’s more than apparent that this Glasgow five-piece have a lot to offer with their disparate DIY sound.” – Compulsion Online

"A coalition of oddball sonics with each member bringing something completely different to the table, and the result is an interesting concoction of ideas from a band that is essential to any DIY scene up and down the country" - Sun 13

released April 5, 2024

Written and performed by Dragged Up.

Chas Lalli - bass
Eva Gnatiuk - guitar, vox & percussion
Lisa Jones - vox & percussion
Simon Shaw - guitar, vox & percussion
Stephen Mors - drums

All songs written by Dragged Up,
except Die Tryin' by Dragged Up with Jack Doe.

Recorded by Robbie Wilson at Spaced In Studios, Cumbernauld,
and Chris Geddes at Banchory Studios, Glasgow.

Additional recording by Tommy Duffin and Dragged Up.

Mixed by Tommy Duffin and Dragged Up at 16 Ohm Studio, Glasgow.
Mastered by Sam Smith at Green Door Studio, Glasgow.

Painting, linocut and layout by Eva.

Released in collaboration with Cruel Nature Records and Rare Vitamin Records.

Thanks to Steve Strode, JD, Julian Dicken and Alasdair Campbell.

©DU Recs2024. © all rights reserved. DUH-02