ALBUM REVIEW: Turborider – Reckless Love
The 80s. Everywhere we look there’s at least one person proclaiming their desire to have been born in the modern-day Golden Age. Those of us who were look upon the neon spectres of days gone by with rose-tinted glasses. Both scenarios neglect the notion of not all that glitters is gold. This Friday, RECKLESS LOVE aim to bask in the warm glow of nostalgia with new release Turborider. The Finnish sleaze rockers return after a four-year hiatus with their fifth album. Their follow up to 2016’s InVader features 11 tracks of synth-wave infused rock. We’re inclined to agree this is a departure from their previous efforts. Is this too much of a departure though?
Olli Herman’s characteristic wail on the opening title track ushers in the new age of RECKLESS LOVE. Cast against Hessu Maxx’s rolling drums straight out of Miami Vice, this is everything the 80s were about. A sumptuous melody from Pepe Reckless’ guitar fills the track with such potential. Yet when Herman’s heavily auto-tuned vocals begin, we feel deflated. This song centres on a femme fatale character; a temptress combined with the sense of impending doom at the hands of this woman. “Here comes Turborider / Your true desire” Herman warns in a lacklustre chorus. The thick riffs which had littered the first half of the track give way to a fully synth-wave instrumental which doesn’t turbocharge us as intended.
This listlessness plagues Turborider. Attempting to branch out in homage, RECKLESS LOVE drops the ball. Eyes Of A Maniac oozes atmosphere with its seductive bass laden verses. The chug beneath the chorus melting into the electronic elements has potential. With that said, it simply doesn’t have the desired effect. The understated guitar solo at the end gives Eyes Of A Maniac the menace the band were looking for – it just doesn’t give enough of it. The beat to single Outrun feels very similar to the tracks we’ve listened to previously. Outrun speeds by in a blur of notes and a semblance of synth which does Reckless a disservice in particular as his guitar work here is exemplary.
Two pillars of RECKLESS LOVE’s decade of desire were video games and heavy metal, specifically OZZY OSBOURNE. These keystones receive their designated portion of Turborider with Kids Of The Arcade and a cover of Bark At The Moon respectively. An ode to the grind of an arcade game, and of life in general, Kids Of The Arcade is meant to provide some sense of determination. A will to carry on. With cheesy lyrics “they’ll get the replay” and barren verses, this boss music has us wanting to put down our controller and go outside. We would hope Bark At The Moon would have been a highlight at least, but feels like karaoke at best.
For those who have been on the RECKLESS LOVE boat for a while, there are still elements of sleaze rock hiding beneath the surface. Party tune 89 Sparkle’s riff dictates the bounce of the party, even if the band do veer from the beaten track with a confusion of bright synths and boastful lyrics. Penultimate Future Lover Boy lends itself to RECKLESS LOVE’s past efforts with darker instrumentals and sexual innuendo coming from all angles. As we begin to settle into what the entire album should have been, a very synth-pop chorus lets the song down, further building our frustration.
In a classic case of too little too late, Prodigal Sons gives us the RECKLESS LOVE we had been expecting. The gothic etherealness of the intro dissolves within a metallic chugging riff we had been longing for. Crowing about having sinned and keeping it sleazy, this is what Turborider and RECKLESS LOVE should have been. Does it do enough to save the album? No. Turborider comes as a bitter disappointment and serves as an example that perhaps some things should be left where they belong.
Rating: 5/10
Turborider is set for release on March 25th via AFM Records.
Like RECKLESS LOVE on Facebook.