Review Summary: Perfect summer album? Rx Bandits stake a claim with a slightly left field effort where the hooks are just as bright and catchy, but decorated with a blend of rock, ska and reggae which is undeniably their own.
Rx Bandits gives the listener a taste of their melting pot of hard rock, ska undertones and above all, constricting hooks that, if you let them, will squeeze and squeeze until you literally can't erase them from your head.
Mat Embree's vocal delivery - at once reggae tinged babylon preacher and white boy college pop punk prince leaves its mark on the album - not a particularly divisive or controversial voice, but one that fits the jungle madness, softly progressive feel of the album. A definite contender for "non-obvious summer album", the Rx Bandits succeed in creating a sound that feels colourful and vibrant. The bass, prominent yet simple grounds the band's sound - whilst guitars, keyboards and even drums break out into sunny flourishes and meandering streams of sonic thought - "Mientras La Veo Sonarr", a definite highlight slowly fading out in this fashion after having intertwined said style with a classic, ballsy pop-rock that Rx Bandits would do well to retain on their future releases.
The fact that the horns have gone makes the quality of RX Bandit's sound, and the overall feel far more remarkable - it has been a while since you could accurately describe the band as "ska" in any real form, but the band has coped with the loss with an apparent ease - the music being just as potent, and just as bright and danceable as it was before - and one suspects the removal of the horn section has in a way been a blessing - the band's more creative, natural side seeming to flourish on this album.
While fans may lament the loss of instantly danceable, catchy cuts such as "Pal-Treaux" from The Resignation, a couple of listens to this album will reveal that the band's growth and progression is merely colouring their essential quality - the ability to write and perform memorable, loveable pop songs. No matter whether these songs are draped in third-wave ska punk dressings, or wrapped in the band's more recent style of natural, organic rock - their heart shines through, and this is what makes the album so good. The band can still rock on either side of the spectrum - the straightforward, rock opener bursts in climax with an emotionally charged, perfectly fitting guitar solo, whilst the madcap opening of penultimate track "Bled to be Free (The Operation)" exhibits their more indulgent side, where rapid fire guitar and energetic, almost salsa tinged bass and drum interlock triumphantly before subduing and launching into another grand hook, Embree's impassioned wails leading the charge. The song then drops into an almost galloping bassline a la Iron Maiden, complete with impressive fiddly guitar solo, before again reverting back to type by reimposing Embree's vocal hook on last time.
The rhythm section all throughout the album is a highlight - whether complicated or simple, the drum and bass combination holds the songs to shore as the guitars colour the landscape, whether through conventional lead guitar techniques or through fiddly, tropical tinged flourishes that are delight to listen to.
Basically, this is an album of subtle, sweet yet immediate hooks - see the tracks "White Lies", "It's Only Another Parsec..." and opener "My Lonesome Friend" in particular" - which is also a continuation of the progress the band has been making since "Progress" - fans of the band and fans of catchy rock music should definitely check this out.
