EP REVIEW: Candy Pop – AWOLNATION
The enigmatic and the absurd often go hand in hand. We as humans tend to have an adverse reaction to that which we don’t automatically understand. The key to conquering that however is subtlety – something which AWOLNATION has never been a fan of, let’s be honest. Carrying all the subtlety of a brick through a window, Aaron Bruno brings his brainchild to the forefront for EP Candy Pop.
If people are wondering whether there’s another instance of Sail or Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) on this five-track EP, we are here to let them know any and all expectations should be cast out. AWOLNATION’s discography isn’t a breeding ground of comparison but one of aural experience. When it comes to the opening title track, an experience is one term to describe it. Percussion leads into brain-tickling electro-pop. While the beat may seem simple and the pulsating melody doesn’t wholly do too much, it’s the lyrics AWOLNATION turns our attention to. “You can simplify your life and masturbate with the piranhas, girl” is certainly a line we’ve listened to and admittedly sang along with on repeat listens and therein lies the joy of this EP in the opening minute. It’s absurd yet it’s catchy and plays into the part of our brain which can sink into the experience with very little effort. As we said, the melody may not do too much to progress the track in any way but for those who pay close attention there are lilts of funk guitar and a bloom into a Blade Runner-esque cybernetic world. Just don’t have sexy time near the sealife.
Absurdity often leads down the rabbit hole of madness – just look at Alice In Wonderland – though madness may be too hard a word for some of what Bruno expresses during We Are All Insane and Freaking Me Out. Paranoia maybe. Dreamy guitars overlay the former’s understated drums as Bruno broods “Monday makes a fool of me” – as it does of us all. While the title We Are All Insane may suggest something breakdowny this way comes, there’s something quite lo-fi in the unravelling mind. That’s something to be praised within itself. Very few can quite capture the multifaceted nature of what it means to have a personality disorder or some form of mental affliction, yet the experience ADD has given AWOLNATION lends itself to do just that with brilliant execution. This can also be said for the rambling Freaking Me Out, an itemised list of the things which make a mind uncomfortable yet still has that dark element of being forever burdened by the lunatic fringe. A delectable crunch sits within the guitars as Bruno’s “You give me the heebie-jeebies” melts into the chorus’ background. Think SCISSOR SISTERS were they to have some sort of malady. As with We Are All Insane, there’s nothing brash about this track. In fact, were it the in your face brand of mental health awareness, it would lose a lot of its impact and it’s this which makes AWOLNATION so revered among their fanbase.
The final two tracks have us in two minds. Should EPs contain remixes or should they be released through another channel allowing for more original material? It’s an age-old question which has great arguments for both sides. It’s not something we’re going to get into in the here and now as we have music to be listening to. However there’s a part of us which feels cheated by the Flamingosis and Elohim remixes of Candy Pop. That being said, one is arguably better than the original. We’ll allow you to work out which one for yourself, avid reader. For those who’ve never dropped a tab of acid before, allow the Flamingosis Remix to take the reins and present how that may be. The track shows the high of infatuation with its distortion and instrumental meandering. Without leaning too much into the drug-addled language, expect this to be piping over the PA system next time we all sail through Willy Wonka’s Tunnel Of Terror. So we have the high. What of the low? Well, this is what the Elohim Remix demonstrates. Swelling into the heavy distorted and housing a trap beat, we are indeed on the other side of the looking glass. The bass is heavy, the seduction is rife and that absurdity we were talking about? Imagine the caterpillar in Alice In Wonderland puffing away on the hookah and blowing the smoke directly at us.
Imagery of being seduced by a massive blue caterpillar high on hallucinogens planted firmly in the brain? Perhaps not AWOLNATION’s intention but this is an EP which leaves a hangover not too different from a comedown. In a scene which is cluttered with bands and artists vying for a captive audience’s attention, AWOLNATION steal us away for a few minutes by doing very little. It’s this effortlessness which makes AWOLNATION’s discography something to be experienced rather than analysed to within an inch of its life – even though that’s what we’ve just done. Candy Pop is sweet, sour, and devilishly moreish.
Rating: 8/10
Candy Pop is out now via Better Noise Music.
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