Label: Last Gang
Duration: 36 Minutes
Outrage! Is Now is the latest release from the Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above (who have officially dropped the 1979 portion of their name), following another major release cycle. The group's debut 2004 album You're A Woman, I'm A Machine is beloved by many, and I find that their 2014 return with The Physical World, while divisive among fans, is another strong set of tracks that showed their maturity of 10 years away from the band. Outrage! Is Now is not as good as either album, and is much more of a mixed bag.
There are, however, many things to like about the newest album. I thoroughly enjoyed the sound of the instrumentals this time around, with everything clicking together nicely alongside a more lo-fi sound to the leading basslines. Some of the tracks take full advantage of this tone to build a feverish energy, such as Holy Books and the opener Nomad, which left me excited for what came next (I would be disappointed). I The title track shines as well, with an almost paradoxical industrial-pop feel to the song.
If only the rest of the tracklist had lived up to these standards. Most of Outrage! Is Now is largely forgettable, with predictable songwriting that does little to take advantage of the group's trademark energy. The song Moonlight is particularly cringe-worthy, as Sebastien Grainger (drums and vocals) does his best impression of Matthew Bellamy. Muse is one modern rock band no artists should be trying to emulate. The meandering, even more mainstream sound of this release forces many interesting riffs to take a backseat to attempts at catchy melodies that ultimately lead nowhere interesting.
Lyrically, the album is as inconsistent as anywhere else. Some songs ooze sex, fury and power, such as the previously mentioned Holy Books. Others attempt to inspire the outrage the album is named for, and fail miserably. The line "Pray to American Idol/YouTube haircut so in style" from Never Swim Alone strikes me very much as sell-out profit-machines wondering where their hippy ideals fell apart, and somehow deciding to blame Millenials. I suppose this isn't that surprising when one considers the band's progressively saturated sound, however.
Ultimately, Outrage! Is Now desperately lacks the character of the band's previous efforts. Outside of the laughable Moonlight, none of the tracks are offensively awful, instead sitting in a zone of mediocrity that one would expect from a new indie punk outfit perfectly built for generic indie radio, rather than seasoned musicians like Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler. Death From Above have by no means made a terrible album, but perhaps they have done something worse; releasing something completely uninspiring.
Score: 6/10
Best Tracks: Holy Books, Outrage! Is Now, Nomads
Worst Tracks: Moonlight, Freeze Me, Never Swim Alone, Statues
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