Lynks, ‘Abomination’ review: Queer pop powerhouse delivers bright and brilliant debut

“I started Lynks as almost a novelty thing,” the gimp-masked pop powerhouse told Rolling Stone UK last year. “Now, I’m not just a clown,” they added, “I am a clown, but I’m also a clown that makes banging dance music. It’s a nice realisation to come to, and writing some songs that were a bit more emotional than, for example, ‘How to Make a Bechamel Sauce In 10 Steps’, really helped and they still resonated with people.”

While humour is a vital and irreplaceable part of Lynks’ music, long-awaited debut album Abomination delivers on this promise and presents them as a genuinely brilliant pop star instead of a novelty act. These two forms work best when they’re presented in tandem: opening track ‘Use It or Lose It’ discusses hookups in your twenties with outlandish humour (“it’s gotta be a 12-month hot girl summer”), but also addresses ageist ideas around gay sex.

In ‘Tennis Song’, they recount unrequited love with a straight tennis coach (“You made a gay boy love sports / That’s not easy to do”) and unfulfilling dating app sex on ‘(What Did You Expect From) Sex with A Stranger’.

Abomination pushes Lynks into new territory musically as well as lyrically. The filthy, bassy hooks are still here in abundance, but ‘Tennis Song’ and ‘Lucky’ are lo-fi gems, while closer ‘Flash in the Pan’ is a giddy and bright indie- pop smash. This is an album that loses none of Lynks’ trademark filth and charm while adding crucial extra depth and nuance.