Review: Lowrider ‘Ode To Io’ [25th Anniversary Reissue]

In all my time of loving heavy music, if ever there was a band I wished I had known about earlier, then for sure it’s Lowrider. Somehow, they managed to pass me by completely back in the early ‘00s, and it’s only now that I am able to really educate myself on just what an incredible band I missed out on.

Thankfully, I was tasked with reviewing their 25th anniversary reissue of their debut album Ode To Io, and what a magnificent beast it is and the perfect way to get some education.

I guess when this album was coming out, my attention was more focused on a different area of heavy music. I know that a lot of my time has been given to adoring The Gathering over the years, and as such, the early ‘00s were exclusively spent fanboying them big time. So much of the stoner desert rock style wasn’t my go-to, but these last few years have been spent either discovering these now classic bands or spending time going back and fully embracing those I already had some awareness of.

Obviously, a lot of the late ‘90s was dominated by Kyuss and Fu Manchu as they were the two figureheads of stoner rock for the time. As such, I imagine a lot of bands got passed off as jumping onto their bandwagons, and as the early ‘00s rolled in, Queens Of The Stone Age came into their own and changed the landscape somewhat. Unfortunately, it meant the likes of Lowrider didn’t get the exposure they deserved, and ultimately it pushed them onto the fringes of the genre.

Now this is the thing, after listening to Ode To Io multiple times over the last few weeks, I have to say it absolutely fucking rules. OK, so I get the love that people have for Kyuss and Fu Manchu, and it’s understandably so, I love them both, but as is similarly the case with Pelican, Lowrider, for me, are the actual epitome of the benchmark for their respective subgenre.

Ode To Io is an awesome opus, which doesn’t feel at all dated to its initial release date 25 years ago. It sounds fresh and has held up so incredibly well. In fact, I would go as far as to say that if this had been put out now as a brand-new release, it would be turning heads in amazement. Yes, it would draw comparisons, but we all need to work recommendations based on similar bands when discussing music, it’s been the case since the likes of Black Sabbath first showed up, and even long before then. With that in mind, to point squarely at Kyuss is a no-brainer, but that doesn’t mean writing off Lowrider as a lesser band or a pale comparison, because that isn’t the case at all.

Lowrider, for me, feel more vibrant, and even a little more ‘user friendly’ than Kyuss. Maybe it is in part to them being Swedish, and having a little European influence in the mix, or it could even be that, for me, there isn’t such an iconic stigma around them, so they are a ‘brand new’ entity that I can get on board with easily enough. Just to clarify, this isn’t a besmudging of Kyuss; they are golden gods, it’s that Lowrider hit differently. I am also drawn towards a slight Refused vibe, which might account for something.

As for the album itself, it was released exactly 25 years ago to its reissue date, and in that time, things have evolved. I was reading in the band’s press release that when it first came out, the way it had been mixed and mastered wasn’t what they had hoped for, and so at the time, it was all a little disheartening.

It has everything you would want from a stoner rock album…

Well, this has all been rectified, and overhauling the recordings has meant going back and fixing the previous concerns. What this has resulted in is a more dynamic output, and it could be this which makes it feel more modern, especially with new technology helping along the way. The result is a clean, crisp trip, guaranteed to blow your mind.

Additionally, where the original release was a ten-tracker, the reissue includes additional newer material and recordings that needed a home, so what you are getting is a sixteen-track album of riveting stoner rock that should bridge the gap until they release their new album next year.

It has everything you would want from a stoner rock album; the backline of bass is in overdrive, and the drums flit between pummelling and lethargic throughout. The guitar work is monumental, vibrant and dynamic, and the vocals are ridiculously on point.

To choose any standout track is pointless; each one is as great as its predecessor, and when there are more chill moments entwined over the course of it all, they have a little respite in the mix, not overly elaborate, and yet utterly compelling.

If you are a fan of the Kyuss sound and you don’t already have Lowrider in your collection, then now’s the time to rectify that. Ode To Io is easily in my top ten of 2025, it took a while to get here, but every second has been worth the wait.

Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Lee Beamish