Slaves have just released their third album since 2015 and well, it doesn’t sound as rushed or weak as you might think. It’s a raw and dynamic punk record.
The punk duo from Kent claims to have put more thought into production this time around and you can hear the improvement. Even so, they have managed to retain that raw, animal sound that punk albums risk losing when they are too tightly produced.
The nine-track album kicks off with ‘The Lives They Wish They Had’ which is a three minute, perfect punk track. It has all the ingredients for a Slaves song: a pace that makes you want to sprint, distorted, tasty riffs and Isaac Holman’s gnarly British vocals yelling over the top. ‘Cut and Run’ and ‘Bugs’ follow in the same vein. They are high energy songs which are perfect for a live performance but also powerful enough to instigate a mosh pit in your own living room.
‘Magnolia’ is a great, modern take on an angry punk song. ‘Did you know 65% of UK homes contain at least one magnolia wall? / I bet you didn’t / Incoming!’ Holman yells. The song then proceeds to criticise the British yearning to appear perfect (‘It’s gotta be, gotta be / It’s gotta be, gotta be perfect’). But is it ultimately about the exaggerated desire to appear like your life is in order in our perfectly filtered Instagram lives or does he just really hate magnolia walls? Who cares, it’s a banger.
‘Photo Opportunity’ has similar vibes but opens with a surprisingly pleasant and cheerful fingerpicked riff before launching into a heavy, fast-paced power chord chorus. ‘Artificial Intelligence’ is also a nicely achieved punk song.
The albums’ finale ‘Acts of Fear and Love’ is the longest on the album, being five minutes, which is longer than your average punk song. It alternates between softer rock riffs and heavy, throw-away-your-beer and launch yourself into the crowd riffs.
Overall, Acts of Fear and Love is Slave’s best album yet and manages to be daring and interesting while remaining authentically Slaves, which is just an angry punk from Kent. It really is an album that sounds like it will be best enjoyed live though, so we can’t wait to catch them on their big world tour this fall.
