Gluecifer – Same Drug New High
Release Date: 16th January 2026
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Bandcamp
Genre: Hard Rock, Garage Rock, Punk, Glam.
FFO: Grand Royale, Backyard Babies, The Hellacopters, Rokets, The Hives.
Review By: Paul Franklin
Wow! 20 years is a hell of a long time, especially these days when cultural trends come and go as quickly as Premier League managers. But, that’s how long we have had to wait for new music from Norwegian garage punks Gluecifer.
Has it been worth the wait?
Well, 15 seconds into opening track The Idiot and a dive-bombing riff will elicit a four letter confirmation that it most definitely has, and that the band are back, and back with more unstoppable determination than Arnold Schwarzenegger gate crashing an LA police station. The song itself being the bastard offspring of ‘Take It’ from their previous album Automatic Thrill, a high speed punky blast of garage rock that will bring a shit eating grin and a tingle in the tackle.
The Hives-esque title track and the banging attitude of Armadas continue the momentum, proving that they haven’t blown all their wad on a strong opening and aren’t then going to pad out the rest of album with mediocre fillers.
The fact that you can hear similarities to bands like Grand Royale on the more glam numbers, such as I’m Ready or Pharmacity, just highlights how much of a lasting influence Gluecifer have had on the Scandinavian rock scene.
In all honesty, there just isn’t a single weak track here. Eleven dirty fusions of punk, rock and glam, with a personal highlight being Made In The Morning, a pulsating bassline that builds into a roaring anthem that practically screams “This is how it’s done!”
Somebody asked how can a band can still be relevant after a 20-year hiatus. Gluecifer just grinned and said, “hold my beer!”
(4.5 / 5)
