Review Summary: Foxes blend numerous genres to create a cohesive listening experience tacked full of emotion
Foxes’ debut album Organic Vessels blends elements of post-punk, shoegaze, pyschedelia, and post-hardcore to create an engaging listening experience tacked full of emotion. The Australian 5 piece weave these eclectic influences together to create a cohesive whole, not usually found in many first releases. Throughout the past 4 years or so, the band has put out a successful stream of eps that have garnered international attention, and shared the stage with notable acts such as Mewithoutyou, Funeral For A Friend, and La Dispute. Although there are a few missteps along the way, Foxes create a solid foundation to grow upon.
Starting off with the six and a half minute Post-Utopia, Foxes waste no time introducing the varying sounds and textures found throughout the rest of the album. Tight songwriting and a natural, unpolished production give the effect driven guitar work and raw emotive vocals room to breathe. While at times the vocals may seem overly grating, the passionate delivery paired with the poetic nature of the lyrics make up for this more times than not.
The guitarist work together to weave a sonic canvass for the yelled, screamed and sometimes spoken word approach of vocalist Alex Shom by creating rich atmospheric textures. This is often achieved by the use of tasteful tremolo layering combined with effects pedals, which give off an almost shoegazelike wall of sound. Songs use frequent buildups, tension, and carefully placed subdued instrumental moments that add multiple dynamics to each song. A notable example of this is lead single Stomp The Earthworm. The song starts off with a catchy fuzzed out guitar pattern before an almost tribal sounding drum beats kicks in. The verse capitalizes on this and builds up to the chorus. The chorus employs a catchy psychedelic groove over chaotic screamed vocals, then fades into another verse.
After the verse, just when you think another chorus is coming on, the song takes a turn for left field with shimmery, effect laden guitar work over delicate, restrained drumming, leading to one of the biggest buildups found on the album. The guitars frantically add tension, while the drums accentuate the chaos, until everything cuts out but the repeated line, “we’re lost.” After the song climaxes, melodic guitars unwind the song into a textured, spacey outro. Foxes are able to create several memorable moments like this throughout the album, exemplifying theirs skill at using multiply dynamics and pacing to make already great songs that much better.
Another strong point on the record is its ability to meld multiple genres into a unified sound. Ossuary starts with reverb soaked tremolo picking and blast beats, reminiscent to Deafheaven’s Sunbather, giving off a more metallic sound, followed immediately by Albino Bambino’s almost surf rock grooves. While the next song, Humongous Fungus, wouldn’t sound out of place in Mewithoutyou’s Catch For Us The Foxes. Despite these differences, the band is able to tie the songs together in a way that makes sense, and works to give the album a uniform identity.
The main thing that will hinder this album for some listeners however, are the vocals. While sincere in nature, the emotive quality and rawness sometimes isn’t exactly pleasant to listen to. Hearing someone pour themselves out in such a vulnerable way can be uncomfortable. Despite the passionate delivery, occasionally the lyrics touch on the melodramatic and give off a Jordan Dreyeresque feeling. A main instance of this is in the in the first two minutes of Post-Utopia. Sections like this hinder the album, and can give a bad first impression. Fortunately, moments like these are few and far between, although still hard to miss when they do happen. However, for a first release, Foxes have crafted a unique and solid album, that is sure to impress.
