After three EPs, sell-out UK tours, and a rapidly developing cult-leader status, the unapologetically uncategorizable Lynks – now signed to the renowned Heavenly Recordings – today announces their debut album ABOMINATION, due April 12th. Ricocheting between visceral, abject shame and giddy, hedonistic delight, throughout the album Lynks takes us on a dizzying tour of modern queer culture via casual sex, references to Sean Cody, and a one-sided love affair with a straight tennis coach.
They also today share the album’s lead single, “CPR” – a call back to the mid-2000s pop of Kelis, Fergie and Missy Elliott, through a rough, distorted Lynks lens – and its stunning video.
Working with Josh Baxter (PVA) on “CPR”, Lynks set out to explore men with savior complexes: “There’s this temptation to shrink yourself and make yourself seem all helpless and vulnerable with those guys, so they get to feel like some Big Strong Man protecting you. CPR felt like the perfect metaphor for that weird dynamic,” says Lynks. “I first had the idea for CPR while doing a first-aid course at my old job. I was mid-chest compression on my dummy, and suddenly the chorus just came into my head over the rhythm of my hands on the doll. I quickly ran to the toilet to do a voice note, then got back to saving imaginary lives,” they add.
“CPR” is the fourth taste from ABOMINATION following on from the hilarious “SEX WITH A STRANGER” follows from instant classic “USE IT OR LOSE IT”, which fueled Lynks’ ascent to new heights, landing them a Spotify billboard, and “NEW BOYFRIEND” which was added to the A-List at BBC6 Music.
Self-written, self-produced, self-effacing and self-aggrandising, their debut album brings together half a decade’s worth of artistic and personal progression in under 40 minutes. Where their earlier work employed a relentless, collage style of effects and high-octane vocals to carve a unique path, ABOMINATION allowed Lynks the space to experiment in a different way. Here they have the runtime to explore a wider range of ideas, new vocal styles, fresh genre elements and gentle narratives. “I think on the EPs, I was trying so hard to get anyone to pay attention,” Lynks jokes. “Early on I was like ‘well, every song needs to be a hilarious concept’ Whereas this album, there’s quite a few of those, but there’s also songs that aren’t necessarily funny, or they’re exploring an idea rather than being really specific.” The result is an accomplished debut that deals in light and shade. Opening with the flamenco-tinged “USE IT OR LOSE IT” and closing with the dizzying rush of “FLASH IN THE PAN”, the record careens through the messy ins-and-outs of modern life, via unfulfilling one night stands on “(WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FROM) SEX WITH A STRANGER” and a moment of sweetness with the lo-fi bedroom pop of “TENNIS SONG”.
