The year is 1964, and the British Invasion has just begun. The Kinks get off of a plane to a throng of screaming fan and play the Ed Sullivan show, setting the all-time viewership record in the United States and becoming the most important band in the world. Years later, the Byrds, after dabbling in folk, rock, and psychedelia, move to the UK and pioneer a genre characterized by fast, brief songs, loud drums, and sneering vocals. The genre is dubbed “punk” by the press, and it spreads like wildfire.

This is the universe wherein Black Lips’ Arabia Mountain exists–the intersection between the British Invasion’s rhythm and blues swagger and punk rocks sneering rebellion. Drums beat fast and strong rarely dipping below 120 bpm, vocals sneer or drone, electric guitars soak themselves in spring reverb and solo psychedelic. It’s the Sex Pistols ten years earlier. Black Lips call this conglomeration “flower punk,” and Arabia Mountain is the most fitting example of the genre among their discography. It’s the type of record you put on at a party to keep things lively, and since I grabbed a used promo copy with no cover for ninety-nine cents, I’m definitely pleased with it.