Release
date: August
03rd
2018.
Label: Self
Released.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Future
Slum –
Tracklisting
1.Pirate
Smile
2.Lines
3.Whatever
4.It
Ain't Right
5.Threes
6.Cinderella
7.Generals
8.Big
Enough
9.Alone
10.Lucky
Members
Jessica
Baker, Mike Cummings, Erik Larson
Review
I
first discovered Backwoods Payback through the sadly, now gone
Dullest Records label out of Philly. Their last album, Fire Without
Reason was an intense slab of raw rock fury. Their new record, Future
Slum, finds this Pennsylvania power trio with a bit of a more
polished sound. The record has a very grunge rock sound to it, heavy
but melodic. Backwoods Payback are pessimistic, pissed off and catchy
as hell. Future slum has big guitars and bass bringing riff after
riff, monstrous drums and tons of vocal harmony, with some sweet
male/female vocal interplay.
The
record opens with the whiplash, politically charged rock of Pirate
Smile.
Which leads into the slower tempo of Lines,
the song has QOTSA groove about it that gives way to a heavy, rockin
outro. One of the truly stellar tracks on the record is Whatever.
With
it’s immensely groovy riff and killer harmony vocals that will be
stuck in your head for weeks the song swoons then rocks into a heavy
middle eight before closing with an intense call and response outro.
The equally stellar It
Ain’t Right
follows
with near rock perfection on this mid tempo gem.
Threes
brings
back the heavy with a wicked groove and a rolling drum outro. The
ominous and hushed sound of Cinderella
is
a bass and drum heavy slab of darkness. Generals
is
another politically charged anthem with a more hardcore/punk feel. It
contains elements of spoken word vocals and a shouted mantra/warning
to “Don’t become what you hate!” Big
Enough
is
a blast of fuzzed out perfection. Catchy lyrics and a killer vibe
accentuate this excellent track. A big riff intro brings in Alone,
which is an intense and tightly wound rocker that closes with a
heartbeat like drum beat. The record closes with the slow, heaviness
of Lucky,
a massive track to close a massive record.
Future
Slum is the record that is and should push Backwoods Payback to the
next level. It is pure quality from beginning to end. The record
feels as though it could have been released 25 years ago and would
have warranted the same attention. This PA power trio have struck all
the right chords and delivered a record that will
most
definitely stay in heavy rotation for the foreseeable future.
Todd S - Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou
Words by Todd Stealey
Words by Todd Stealey
Thanks
to Dewar PR for the promo. Future Slum will be available
to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from August 03rd
018.
Links:
