That’s right: Fuck Buttons. But get past the funny name, though, and ‘Slow Focus’ will transport you far away from your daily life.
The location? An
apocalypse, the sort you can only envision in your nightmares. This latest album from the Bristol-based duo
continues their noisy, techno drone music with cinematic flare. If this were a film soundtrack, it would be a
psychological horror, slowly weaving its way deeper into your consciousness.
Album opener Brainfreeze
begins with thumping drum rhythms and doom-laden synth textures,
voicelessly calling you down to its hellish soundscape of sinister squealing
and bass-heavy drones. The Red Wing pairs its beats with
grinding synths that sound like a chainsaw ripping through your soul, whilst Sentients is constructed of alien,
technological sounds, ominous bass notes and a central riff that eerily sounds
almost human. The alien-theme continues
with Stalker that takes the listener
out into the great void with its space-age whirring and grandiose vision.
By the time Hidden Xs
comes around, the final and best track on the album, you’re just about ready to
wake up from the nightmare. This is a
track that embodies the spirit of Fuck Buttons, all techno beats, lumbering
bass drones and dystopian guitar wails for an overwhelming, transporting sound that
forces you to just stop and soak it all in.
The only major criticism of ‘Slow Focus’ is, as the title
suggests, its long-windedness. Yet this
comes with the territory of this style of ambient, drone music – music that
seems to stretch on for infinity, repeating and evolving at a glacial
pace. A track like Prince’s Prize can therefore become rapidly grating, whilst Year of the Dog is overly suggestive of
Vangelis’ Blade Runner score. You might feel exhausted and mesmerised by
the album’s end, but you’ll be more than willing to jump straight back in
again.
3/5
Gizzle's Choice:
* Brainfreeze
* Stalker
* Hidden Xs
Listen: 'Slow Focus' is available now.