It's hard to know what to make of Skip The Foreplay's Epitaph debut, Nightlife. On one hand, it's hard not to laugh because, with a mix of screamo and dubstep as well as a great big dollop of pop frontloaded onto a hyper-aggressive, metallic base, the Montreal-based band seems intent on presenting themselves as a tarted up and feminized caricature of metal. Metalheads would have every right to sneer at that but, on the other hand, the band presents that sound so earnestly and with such a straight face and such an infectious vibe that it's hard to not want to start dancing. On Nightlife, the rhythms are infectious and the mood will make listeners want to slap their chests like a group of irate gorillas, but it all sounds so comical too because the hard sounds and stance don't line up with the poppy side of the band at all; so what the hell should a listener do when they hear it?
What indeed.
Throughout the thirteen tracks which comprise Nightlife, Skip The Foreplay earnestly tapdances between different (and regularly opposed) sounds and mashes them all together with such incredible force and speed that it's impossible to separate out any one of the component ideas which function as the backbone of the album and just focus on one. That wouldn't be a problem – in fact, some would call the presentation a success because all the parts are inseparable (and, let's be honest, all alt-rock nightclubs need new fodder for their Thursday night dance parties) – except that any dance step to songs like “Hawaiian Killer,” “Shots” or “Date Rape Predator” (kudos for the totally tactless song titles though, guys) would need to include an uppercut to the chin of the guy standing next to you on the dancefloor.
Continuing with the “uppercut” image, Foreplay runs through (and it really does run), those listeners who are new to the group and are trying to get a sense of what they're about will feel their heads begin to spin a bit as the band changes focus with such regularity that by the end, when “Champaigne Showers” (which might be what LMFAO would sound like – on a healthy dose of PCP) finally does let out with one last belt, those who were trying to get into the music will be pretty sure that it was all just a steady stream of incoherent, pharmaceutical-fueled aggression. Because of that, there is no way for any listener to really get a feel for the band at all; there is no personality in the music, so listeners will find themselves just being happy it's over and that they survived with a couple of senses left intact.
Artist:
www.myspace.com/skiptheforeplaymtl
www.facebook.com/Skiptheforeplaymtl
www.twitter.com/#!/skipforeplaymtl
Album:
Nightlife will be released by Epitaph Records on May 1, 2012. Pre-order it here on Amazon .
