ALBUM REVIEW: Let’s Start Degeneracy – Microwave

Let’s Start Degeneracy is the sound of MICROWAVE rediscovering themselves. Whilst it does have songs that would fit right at home on older albums by the Atlanta, Georgia outfit, there are also songs where the band try out new things and push themselves to their creative limits. Fans might know MICROWAVE for their upbeat emo-rock songs, but Let’s Start Degeneracy – named after a conservative politician’s view on drugs in the 1970s – is the start of an entirely new era for the band. Across ten songs, the trio pour their hearts and souls into this album.

Opener Portals is a slow-paced psychedelic track that serves as a great introduction to the album, using eerie synthesisers and the gentle strum of a guitar. It comes right before the band launch into Ferrari – a track whose synths continue the eeriness of the previous song. It is a slow-paced start to the album, which may seem like a strange choice as it sometimes feels like the songs drag on.

Circling The Drain maintains this pacing at first, however the chorus explodes into a riot of energy which continues into Bored Of Being Sad. Let’s Start Degeneracy may get off to a slow start, but the rest of it definitely picks up and from there on in it becomes a joyous mix of slower songs and more energetic songs. Whilst Straw Hat returns to an acoustic/indie-rock sound, it works well with tracks like the synth-rock of LSD to break it up.

Some of tracks fall somewhere in between these extremes, like Omni which mixes fast rock instruments with slow-paced indie rock vocals. However, thanks to the production, this not only keeps things interesting sonically, but also shows how versatile the band are in their sound.

Concertito is a simple but beautiful interlude that transitions smoothly into the acoustic closing song Huperzine Dreams, which also has a piano and some soft electronic synths. This stripped-back song perfectly mirrors the opening song, allowing the album to come full circle. It is a wonderful closer and one that will have the listener in tears as the lyrics talk about saying goodbye. But don’t mistake this for the end of MICROWAVE. This is just the start of a new era for them.

Overall, Let’s Start Degeneracy is a fantastic mixture of old and new. Despite a bit of a slow start, the rest of the album is a fantastic blend of fast-paced and slow-paced songs, and by branching out and incorporating new styles of music, MICROWAVE keep things feeling fresh whilst also returning to the sound that older fans love. This is a band that refuse to put themselves in a box and they are all the better for it. Whatever they do in the future, it is clear that the varied world of whatever music they like will be their oyster.

Rating: 8/10

Let’s Start Degeneracy is set for release on April 26th via Pure Noise Records.

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