ALBUM REVIEW: Libertine – Foreign Body
Hard rock outfit, FOREIGN BODY, have put out their newest record Libertine. The New York quartet, heavily inspired by the likes of antisocial bands including THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, POISON IDEA, and BRAINBOMBS, decided to create a record surrounding those deemed by society as ‘undesirables’ and telling their stories of their lives in the underbelly of their home city. Storytelling akin to that of French realist authors who weren’t afraid with their brutal descriptions of life.
As intriguing as that concept is, it feels frustrating that the backstory, especially if you’re unaware, is somewhat lost in the final draft. We can appreciate hard hitting sounds and gnarly sounding compositions that captured the harsher side of life, but if the emphasis is meant to be on the lyrical storytelling maybe don’t use a distorted effect that makes the vocals lost within the sound.
To repeat, we enjoy distorted heavy hitting sounds, in fact we were intrigued when we listened to intro track Strung Out where you were immediately hit with the loud instrumentals and gruff vocals. There’s a hook, and it also gives the vibe of being next door and hearing a live performance through the walls. Plus, there’s a saxophone in the mix so it’s hard not to have your attention grabbed. Moving into the next track, White Lord Of Hell, we are greeted with a soundbite of an argument turned fight on the streets before a drone meets garage rock guitar comes in with vocals matching the same vibe. It’s interesting at first, but as the song progresses you find yourself thinking it sounds fine, but it doesn’t really stand out.
This record does have brilliant moments that put your hopes up, like the hard hitting Passed Around that we can only describe as being deliberate loud chaos that just works perfectly where we can’t describe, yet we encourage you listen, especially with gradual increase in speed towards the end. Hind Legs has a somewhat bluesy vibe, more so in the imagery of someone coming out of an alleyway with swagger and snapping their fingers to the beat; and Libertines which is the only track across the entire album that doesn’t use a distorted production and has a garage rock meets alternative meets rock ‘n’ roll blend.
Yet much of the record feels very much like a collection of distorted rock riffs and vocals that eventually blend and you yourself zone out as it becomes gradually repetitive. To stress, we love distorted rock noises, but it just blends into one long composition and, honestly, is a little forgettable once you’ve listened to the album. Solid concept, not so much a solid delivery, which is a shame.
Rating: 5/10
Libertine is out now via Brutal Panda Records.
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