Review Summary: An eclectic, catchy, messy album.
People treat Craig Owens either like he is a plague who taints everything his hands touch or like he is a miraculously perfect god completely incapable of flaws. Generally, these are his "target market" the scene kids. I think he proves on this album that he falls somewhere in between-this album is diverse and energetic, which ultimately leads it to its highs and lows. Half the songs are damn as hell catchy, and at least feel heart felt to some extent. The other half are bad electronic beats and rather cringy angst-ridden lyrics. Sometimes all of these are combined into the same song, such as off "The Only Thing You Talk About", where he proclaims "I knew as soon as i'd left you you'd go and *** someone else you whore". In times like these he sounds about as edgy as plastic cutlery. Thankfully even in moments like these, their are saving graces within the songs. Craigs vocals are simultaneously graceful and charged with energy, and he plays both in amazing fashion. A great example would be "Graveyard Dancing", where his voice is somber during the verses, yet erupting with passion during the chorus.
This would lead into another statement I made earlier. The lyrics off this album are very make or break, and I think their are types where Craig shows his capabilities to make a song sound upbeat yet the subject is shrouded in darkness. Off "Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm" one of the lines is "If dying is your way out, then count me in i'm coming." While one could say that he is simply trying to fabricate emo anthems from thin air, I think that some of what he says actually speaks volumes to people, especially those who have suffered from depression or suicidal thoughts. However, like I said, that's him at his best. At his worst what he does is a failed attempt at sounding like a rebel.
One thing I have noticed is that usually, in spite of the levels of diversity, the instruments take kind of a backseat. The guitar chords are mostly very basic and uninteresting, and the keyboard can either be fun and bouncy or rather unnecessary dubstep-like wubs. Their is great keyboard of songs like "Sex Life" which add a quirkiness to the song which, while present on much of the album, is especially present off this track. Unfortunately, most of the sole interest in the instruments is derived from the keyboard, which makes you wish that the guitarist and drummer at least had a few more moments to shine then they do. I said earlier the guitar is usually rather insipid and is their only to provide some backbone to the music, but it does have glimpses of potential. Cool riffs pop in on rare occasion, like the aforementioned "Sex Life". They play off the keyboards well in these moments, bouncing off that same quirkiness. Their are also some pretty badass riffs off of tracks like "Stop Reading, Start Doing Push-ups". Even the drums have moments to shine here, with rampant beats showing that their is some energy and inspiration hovering somewhere, even if it's only in sight.
All together, this album is simply fun to rock out to in spite of its rather overbearingly present flaws. The occasionally cringy lyrics and the constant dominance of Craig Owens bring down a potentially amazing album a few notches. However, when the band reaches their highs, they do so with immense energy and passion. For that reason, this album is somewhat of a stab in the dark. It's like they are pulling pieces of everything they can, which leaves an album that is simultaneously messy and fun. Which, in all honesty, I feel like that's how this album should mostly be taken as. A heap of fun that is hard to take far to seriously. For D.R.U.G.S, the sky is the limit, but they have yet to build the bridge up to it.
