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No one has rated this album. You can be the first. | Sucioperro - Fused | Sucioperro - Fused
Record Label: Xtra Mile Recordings
Release Date: 3rd September 2012
In March 2011, Ayrshire three-piece Sucioperro released their third album, The Heart String and How to Pull It. It was a gentle and melodic album with moments of occasional beauty and it seemed destined to bring them the mainstream success and acceptance that their craft and hard work deserved. However, for whatever reason, this does not occur and now just eighteen months they returned with their latest album, Fused.
The most noticeable thing about this new album is that stylistically it is the complete antithesis of The Heart String and How to Pull It. On the opening track of that album, frontman JP Reid sang, “You appear in my dreams, with your comforting hands. Your touch is like water on my tired sad eyes.” Whereas, just eighteen months later, the opening track of Fused, "A River of Blood", sees him screaming the line, “Of my mistakes, the worst was you, you fucked me up but I fucked you”.
The whole album is notably bleaker than anything this band has ever written before and at times, it can be an unrelenting, punishing listen at times. JP Reid is brutally honest with his lyrics and gives us an insight into his psyche in the last eighteen months, “I saw the light and I fucking ran from it”. The contrast between this record and the previous one is at times shocking and it is apparent that the last year has not been a happy one for Reid or the band. There are moments musically when the album is reminiscent of The Heart String and How to Pull It, such as on fifth track, "Rabbits in Boxes", however the track is filled with a sense of ominous dread coupled with Reid’s sinister lyrics, “Your lips are like sucking on cold flesh”.
Musically the album is the most aggressive thing the band has ever done, with a sound that is at times reminiscent of Torche. This is most apparent in the pummelling “What a Fucking Chump”, utilising distorted vocals and riffs to superb effect. The aggression does not let up throughout the album, with tracks such as the aforementioned “A River of Blood” or “Discipline Office” showing a prog-metal side to the band that was not apparent in their earlier releases.
The album is not devoid of poppier moments, as second track “To Nothing” proves, the aggression is reined in and subtle piano chords form the backbone of what has the potential to become a sizeable hit. The slightly unintelligibly named, “Where at Dat Wild at” also displays a sense of quirky, jangly pop sensibilities that is instantly reminiscent of Reid’s side-project, Marmaduke Duke.
The flaws in this album come in the form of little niggles and moments of minor irritations, not full-blown weaknesses. Closing track, “You Should Get Some Sleep” is a slightly bemusing and unsatisfying way to finish the album. Clocking in at just over a minute, the acoustic song feels more like a sketch of a song or a half-finished idea that somehow became the closer of the album. Similarly, the interlude, “Mein Kleine Taube” is a jarring contrast that seems misplaced within the context of the album.
However, these small frustrations do not detract from what is a stupendous album and one of the best releases of the year. It is a powerful, furious and extremely well written album by a band that at this point in their career are masters of their craft. You should listen to this album, but make sure you, in the words of Bob Dylan, “Play it fucking loud.” |
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