Urge Overkill Submerge Themselves In A Rock & Roll Submarine

By Jon Graef in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 8, 2011 9:20PM

Set your nautical coordinates for guyville, ladies and gents. Following through on an earlier promise, Urge Overkill is back: The band announced its first album in 16 years, titled Rock & Roll Submarine (because why not?). According to the band, Submarine will be distributed through its own UO Records, and will hit stores on May 10.

Having blossomed in Chicago's '80s and '90s underground, Urge Overkill released records like the Steve Albini-produced Jesus Urge Superstar and Americruser on Touch and Go records. (That cred that was good enough to land the band slots opening for Nirvana and Pearl Jam). Later, they'd hop to major label Geffen Records for 1993's Saturation -- a move which would cause former producer Albini to call them "Weiners in suits playing frat party rock" -- and had modest modern rock hits with "Sister Havana" and "Positive Bleeding."

One year later, Urge would score a hit single with a cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," which was included on the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction. After that success, though, came 1995's Exit The Dragon, a moody departure that bombed commercially. Drugs and band turmoil exacerbated the tense situation, and Urge took a long break in 1997. In 2004, a tentative stab at a reunion was made, with the group performing a small handful of shows, including at Chicago's Double Door.

Urge Overkill is now a quartet, with original members Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser, as well as new members Bonn Quast on drums and bassist Hadji Hodgkiss. How does the new line-up stand up?

We've only heard the first single, "Effigy," so far, but it's unexpectedly strong, with Roeser using the toil the years have taken on his voice to communicate a great world-weariness. Other places, though, "Effigy" isn't so effective. The Crazy Horse-stomp sounds utterly generic, especially during the thudding two-note transition riff and the jangly motif starting the track. Overall "Effigy" has a nice hit-it-and-quit-it vibe, though. For a band seeking to make a no-nonsense return to form, that works for now.

Urge Overkill will play May 20 at Bottom Lounge. To tide you over until the new album, let's take a look back at the band performing on MTV's The Jon Stewart Show.