‘nihilist blues‘ is the album’s first song to feature a guest vocalist in Grimes and another example of how far left the band have taken their direction. Its upbeat and reminds me of my techno phase (urgh please no) where I’d listen to DJs like Underworld, Tiesto and even as far as The Prodigy (who used to blend EDM and rock very well back in their day). I’m not up to date with Grimes, but she adds an almost spiritual female voice to a song that’s overproduced with synth and lacking guitars. If you’re at Stereosonic or Tomorrowland or something like that in future years and this comes on, it realllly won’t sound or feel out of place. Not for me, but in saying that, it’s kinda catchy.
in the dark‘ brings us back to band land for a pop-rock mainstream tune with lots of cleans, keys and a stripped back guitar. Within a couple of spins, I’m hooked! It just has that way of bringing you in to sing along and nod your head to the beat. I don’t get much energy from it though, so I’d struggle to see how this one would go in a live setting!? Maybe its the song you listen to when running to the bar, but in terms of getting you pumped up, it’s not one of those kinds of songs.
ouch‘ is next and we’re back again with the EDM influenced stuff from earlier in what I’m going to call fast-paced elevator music. It’s another no from me, sorry.
There’s a sound to this I feel like I’ve heard before too, but I can’t put my finger on who or what it was, I’ll come back to that. Up next we’ve got
‘sugar honey ice & tea‘ which brings the riffffs back again and if you’re a fan of ‘wonderful life‘, you’ll love this just as much as they’re both fairly similar in style, except for the higher pitched produced vocals at the chorus. There’s one minor scream just before a fancy guitar solo (which in the olden days would have been a breakdown) so that should keep you happily chucking that one on repeat.
‘why you gotta kick me when i’m down‘ takes the idea of genre-crossing and just chucks everything in the blender to see what happens. I’m not big on the new-age rap phase but there are elements of that with Oli’s fast sing/rapping, there’s synth, large stadium rock feels and enough beats to beat the Beatles with… I think over time this has the potential to grow on you, but it may take more than just two or three spins. It’s not terrible, but it’s not groundbreaking.
‘fresh bruises‘ is an experimental, semi-instrumental synth beat filler track… it has to be. The lyrics “don’t you try to fuck with me/don’t you hide your love” are muffled and repeated over and over again throughout and that’s about the extent of it. I don’t think this one will grow on me either, next!
‘mother tongue‘ on the other hand is great and sounds like a proper song created by each and every member of the band (again). The drums are loud and plentiful, Oli’s voice is catchy and addictive (Jordan’s higher notes save him) and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a B-Side from the band’s That’s The Spirit recording sessions as it’s very similar to tracks like ‘Follow You‘, ‘Run‘ and ‘Doomed‘, except with a more upbeat tempo.
‘heavy metal‘ is next and for those of you (myself included) who have ever criticised the band for moving away from their heavier metal roots, this is their “fuck you, eat me” song to us. Not only have they brought back some heavier riffs and synth from back in the day, but they’ve included lyrics about people/former fans saying “they don’t love me [the band] anymore” and “…a kid on the gram in a black dahlia [murder] tank says it ain’t heavy metal” but do they care? Nope, they’re too busy trying “to do a head count” [at shows] and it’s just some beautifully worded lyrics which not only stab deep, but twist the knife while it’s in there. Surprisingly, the inclusion of rapper Rahzel really works adding a smoother, out of place (but welcomed) voice who also drops a bit of beatboxing while he’s at it. If you didn’t love/hate the song enough, the final chorus changes ever so slightly to include the words “so I keep picking petals/all I wanna know do you love me anymore/cuz some kid on the gram said he used to be a fan but this shit ain’t heavy metal” before erupting into a heavy as fuck climax complete with a very minor scream that just teases you and leaves you wanting more. Well played BMTH, well played…
‘i don’t know what to say‘ rounds up the album beginning with a string section which leads into an acoustic guitar with Oli’s signature voice before taking us on a music acid trip through so. many. fucking. different. genres. it’s hard to keep up. Seriously at some point, it sounded like the song could have been used in the latest remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (when they’re going through that boat tunnel), its really fucking good. Its a fantastic example of this band’s progression and musicianship and how well the bounce off each other. This is how you do an album’s climax, taking pieces of everything you’ve just put on offer for the listener and combining it together for one final send-off until the next piece of new music. The strings and synth work so well together you’d be forgiven for closing your eyes and imagining yourself at a dramatic ballet performance, its one of the first times I’ve felt something through music, without the use of lyrics or vocals… and it’s a fucking Bring Me The Horizon song!