The Radio Dept. - Running Out Of Love (Album Review)
Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Written by Alec Chillingworth
From the outside, Sweden perhaps seems all fånga dagen, ice skate until Fika then unwind by a log fire with some melodic death metal. But, like the rest of the world, the Scandinavian country is buckling under the weight of modern life’s uncertainties. The Sverigedemokraterna (the anti-immigration Swedish Democrats, basically their version of UKIP) are making gains. And opposition to the rise of the country’s far right makes the perfect material for The Radio Dept.’s meandering dream pop, right? Right?
The duo’s fourth full-length, ‘Running Out Of Love’, starts on a sombre enough note. Theirs is not a political middle finger like Rage Against the Machine but more of a hopeless, almost apathetic approach. Sloboda Narodu – adapted from the slogan “death to fascism, freedom to the people” – opens with a slapped, tribal drumbeat that soon builds into the band’s now-signature sound: stabbing synths, Martin Larsson’s hi-hat tinkering and a lurching crescendo into Johan Duncanson’s droning vocals.
Hats are less tipped and more thrown at the band’s influences. Thieves of State serves as a ‘Kid A’-onwards Radiohead interlude and Swedish Guns delivers percussive punches that side with Depeche Mode before descending into pompously Kraftwerkian keyboards.
The latter track’s ridiculous horn section is a far cry from the scratchier territory visited on their debut, ‘Lesser Matters’, over a decade ago, but The Radio Dept. swerve away from cheesiness thanks to the monotonous nature of Duncanson’s performance.
Occupied’s seven minute-plus duration, though, is a particular slog by the band’s standards. Its dreamy, trance-like repetition is fodder for people on shit drugs in a dance tent, or sleeping music for the brave. It’s a tipping point for the record as a whole and by this point ‘Running Out Of Love’ will probably find you running out of patience.
Its second half strays for a few moments – Can’t Be Guilty’s harp effects are gorgeous and there are some lovely keys on Committed To The Cause – but the initial spite is lost among lackadaisical drum loops and endless vocal meandering. As Teach Me To Forget’s pounding bass drum and faded synths evoke fuzzy, drunken memories from the third floor of a house party, it’s over. It’s all in line with The Radio Dept.’s current template but nowhere near as memorable or atmospheric as their best work.
The Radio Dept Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon January 30 2017 - BRIGHTON Haunt
Tue January 31 2017 - LONDON Scala
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