Lowrider – Ode To IO: 25th Anniversary Edition

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · January 21, 2026

Lowrider is a Swedish stoner rock band from Karlstad/ Stockholm. Formed in 1996, the lineup consists of Peder Bergstrand on bass and vocals, Ole Hellquist on guitar and vocals, Niclas Stalfors on guitar, and Andreas Eriksson on drums. The band released 1999’s Nebula/ Lowrider Double EP split that put them on the map. Their debut full length album entitled Ode To IO followed in 2000. This iconic record was Sweden’s answer to desert rock godfathers, Kyuss. It remains as one of the greatest debut stoner rock albums ever but the band “unofficially” split up in 2003. In 2020, the band re-emerged with their follow-up Refractions, followed by 2024’s The Long Forever, a Split release with Elephant Tree (review here).

Finally, 25 years after the release of Ode To IO, Lowrider has remastered and repressed the original tapes of the recording onto vinyl. As stated on their Bandcamp page: “Commemorating the 25th anniversary of its original release on September 19, 2000, Lowrider present a towering new special edition vinyl reissue pressed on gorgeous silver, black and white color merge double LP, featuring previously unpublished photos, essays, liner notes from the band, and magnificently updated silver board packaging and silver-infused art and design to pay proper homage to one of the founding pillars of desert rock on its milestone anniversary.”

I can’t express the shear impact and importance that Ode To IO has had on me, for over two and a half decades now. I was coming off of the high of discovering Kyuss and was obsessed with Nebula, when I first heard of Lowrider, via the Split release with Nebula. I was lucky to hear Ode To IO around the time it was released and I was totally blown away. I couldn’t believe how amazing the songs sounded and for me, it was exactly what I needed then! I can’t count the number of times that I have listened to this record throughout twenty five years. It was my gateway into discovering all of the amazing music coming out of Sweden back then. I credit Lowrider heavily for my deep love and obsession for the heavy underground music scene today. This album was my true pathway into heavy desert/ stoner/ fuzz rock, that I still love today. Ode To IO has aged exceptionally well all of these years and I can still listen to these songs today, with the same excitement I got from them two and a half decades ago. It’s quite remarkable really!

When the guitar kicks off “Caravan”, the heavy groove of Lowrider is ignited. The simplicity of the riffing matched with solid drumming and cool fills is a magical match as the vocals join in. “Flat Earth” cranks up the rocking groove with a head bobbing reaction of riffalicious tones and melodies. The vocals soothe you along for the ride as the music sends you on a complete sonic adventure. The fuzzy riffs are met with beautiful melodies and dynamics keeping the music fully engaged. Every track is awesome! From the relentless pounding grooves and electrifying fuzz of “Convoy V”, to the riff monstrous swagger of “Dust Settlin’”. Lowrider then follows up with the acoustic guitar driven interlude called “Sun Devil”, which would undeniably show up in another form on the band’s follow-up record, Refractions. The album has so many killer songs like the percussive riff monster “Anchor” and the masterful epic number entitled “Texas, Pt. 1&2”. The next two “Riding Shotgun” and “Saguaro” are equally amazing, along with the mega-instrumental title track “Ode To IO”.

This new 25th Anniversary Edition vinyl is beautiful and sounds amazing. It contains two full twelve inch records with four tracks on each side, for a total of sixteen tracks. The ten original songs from Ode To IO are joined with the five tracks from the Nebula / Lowrider Double EP, and “David William Hughes” from the I Am Vengeance Soundtrack from 2001. This double vinyl edition also contains a bunch of collage photographs and liner notes. It’s simply a must have for fans of this band and album.

Lowrider will always hold a special place in my heart, mostly because of this iconic record. The band has never released a subpar song in my book and always exceeds my expectations with new material. I normally don’t buy too many vinyl records these days but I couldn’t resist this one. Blues Funeral Recordings has done an amazing job with this release, giving it the proper packaging and quality vinyl that it deserves. For a masterpiece recording that shaped the modern day stoner rock movement, Ode To IO is the one record you need. When people talk about the hypothetical nonsense of having only one record on a deserted island, well make no mistake, this is the one I’m choosing.