REVIEW: Red Axes - Red Axes
this is the sound of red axes evolving…
In Melbourne asking the right DJ what music they play could elicit the following response ‘Ah you know, stuff like Red Axes’ - and you would immediately know what they meant. The Red Axes sound is so distinct they might just be the Vegemite of the dance music world. But trying to explain their sound to the uninformed without coming off like an absolute dickhead is tough: you know, post-punk, psychedelic rock-tronica with a hint of loose indie techno dusted in carnival goth blues. (FYI those are all actual descriptors online media have used to describe them). Still, in an interesting take on the concept of onomatopoeia, you know you’ve made an impact when your whole act doubles up as a genre.
Red Axes self-titled third album
Whatever you call it, we're massive fans, and have been since before they dropped their 2014 debut LP Ballad of Ice. That ten-track debut, containing the hazy-as-fuck cover of the Bauhaus classic 'Bela Lugosi's Dead', loosely answered the question of what it would sound like if The Doors made electronic music. (As one of the album's Youtube commentators correctly observes: 'I can't decide whether this is before or after its time'). Their second LP, Beach Goths, was an amalgamation of fuzzy post-punk, Caribbean percussion and bedroom dance beats. It felt very DIY and woolly, like the album was compressed through a tiny blown amp.
On both those LPs the productions are so loose it feels like every instrument is in danger of floating away. Comparably, the instruments on their self-titled third album feels tethered and precise, like it was recorded with a nuclear metronome. They sound confidant and sleek, almost triumphant. In fact, they have never felt more polished, and across 11 tracks they confidently whiz across techno, house, breaks, EBM, beach goth, indietronica and whatever other descriptor you want to throw at them.
The mechanic drums on ‘Break The Limit’ is dark and dank, and the sound palette very disorientating. The presser states is ‘EBM-laced’, we say it’s LSD-laced. (The music video, a collection of stitched together, fan submitted video clips, is worth a watch and most certainly filled with acid). Coming in fast and angry is ‘Shelera’, a madcap techno caper filled with discordant melodies and dragging fx. It is the soundtrack to a police chase after a bank robbery gone wrong. The duo ventures into post-dubstep territory with the slow-rotored beat and melting vocal sample of ‘Hold’. It’s a tense work-out that won’t sit out of place in the Hessle Audio catalogue.
'Stick and Stones' and 'Moonlight' sound familiar, probably as they are the most vintage-sounding Red Axes tracks. The former doubles up as the first single and features the provoked vocals of long time collaborator Adi Bronicki. It is a whole lot catchy and the right amount of crazy. The latter features cool, detached singing and rockabilly drums reminiscent of early '10's Trentemoller. (Surely a collab between Red Axes and the Great Dane would benefit society.)
Opener ‘They Game’, possibly the album’s highlight, definitely talks a big game. It has a mid-tempo house jog and big shiny synths, and even features a blasé vocal rap a la Underworld. It’s a jam which will sound massive on any soundsystem (and it was also a highlight on their 2018 Essential mix). Following hot on its trail is ‘Zeze’ which reads from the same energetic nineties playbook.
If you are a fan of their last two albums, the latest might feel like a deviation. However, once the penny drops, you will realise this is the sound of Red Axes evolving. Gone are the uninhibited first take chaos, replaced by huge drums, mainstage bass and new invigorating energy, a laser focus not found on their last two LPs. Notably, the album cover is the Red Axes name in big, bold red letters on a white background. It’s like they are so proud of this album they are taking ownership by visually stamping it with their name. If their past full-lengths served as adolescent explorations of their varied influences, this self-titled release is the moment it all clicked.