ALBUM REVIEW: Freak Dreams – Slope

If you’ve not come across SLOPE before, they’ve been playing with ideas in funk, hardcore punk and everything in between for a while now. It’s a recipe for massive sounds and weird experimentation, and on their latest record Freak Dreams, they play around ever more with big themes and bigger sounds.

The influence of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and BEASTIE BOYS is absolutely apparent from the first moment of this album. That’s of course going to be a deciding factor in whether you’ll enjoy what SLOPE are doing here, but they do make you feel pretty pumped immediately. There are also elements of bands like RUN-D.M.C. and even the heavier side of glam rock in there, with some classic tones of confident performers like MÖTLEY CRÜE in their prime. This perhaps might feel like a stretch, but essentially that big early 90s swagger is in high supply on Freak Dreams.

While it’s a fun start with tracks like Talk Big and It’s Tickin’, the issue that some of the songs at the top of the record have is that they bleed into one another. There’s a formula, which is absolutely fine, but by keeping it safer and more approachable Freak Dreams runs the risk of being dismissed as nothing more than imitative. This is a shame, as the latter two thirds have much more going for them. It’s almost as if SLOPE feel more relaxed, a little able to give some edge or be more playful, depending on that they want to convey. A good example of this is in WHY SAD, which feels pretty massive, with slabs of guitars and lyrical messages that are well crafted.

Nosedive is where SLOPE dig a little deeper and play with more open layer building with their funk guitars, while also managing to get a decent stomp on. Hectic Life also pushes a solid dirge, keeping it short and punchy. There are parts of True Blue that really play with tempo and expectation of where things might go, which is the right direction to push into for SLOPE. Its ending feels a little premature, but NBQ does the job of being a tonic to this with its push slightly more into hardcore territory.

Ain’t Easy is a good nod towards BEASTIE BOYS, PUBLIC ENEMY and RUN-D.M.C.. Again, the vocals are the clear forerunner for your attention here, but it would be really nice to hear a little more flare and style from the instrumentals, rather than just keeping it straight. Part of what makes a style like this fun is how you play with the conventions – what made RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS popular in the first place was how they really added personality to their individual parts.

There’s definitely a band with talent in SLOPE, and they’re clearly having a great time on Freak Dreams, but they still haven’t completely found their own distinct sound yet within this weird mix of bombastic styles they mesh. There’s influence aplenty, but the flare of personalities required to make this feel stand out are still just out of sight at this point. Regardless of this, SLOPE are constantly veering towards something really special and it’s great to watch their journey unfold.

Rating: 7/10

Freak Dreams is out now via Century Media Records.

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