Early on, when I first moved to the States, I got to witness
the magic of Backwoods Payback from Pennsylvania,
and I fell in love with them immediately. Back then their lead-heavy
punk-tinted rock was the mesmerizing focal point, however, the mainstay of Mike
Cummings (vocals/guitar) and Jessica Baker (bass guitar) has weathered many
storms since then but always come out on top, all while gradually shifting,
evolving and upping the ante beautifully in the process. Studio album number
five, 'Future Slum' is a great testament to this.
Having switched to the trio-format on the previous
full-length, ‘Fire Not Reason’, when drummer Erik Larson joined the fold, the
wonderful three-piece are laying down the law with ‘Future Slum’. Never holding
back the band sings of social problems, relationship issues and political
wrong-doings which in today’s world is more screwed up than ever. Backwoods
Payback hones in on this with frighteningly vivid clarity and that’s one big
part of their greatness. What is also striking is the variety in the music on
hand and how wonderfully connected the different pieces are. Which is another
part of Backwoods Payback’s genius. Personally, this is best displayed in 6
brilliant songs which all stand out and that’s no mean feat since ‘Future Slum’
is fantastic in its entirety.
‘Pirate Smile’ is a no holds barred heavy the way only
Backwoods Payback can play. And with Mike’s desperate, in-your-face vocals
telling it like it is, this is an excellent opener. ‘Lines’ starts out with a
groove that the band should trademark. It’s kind of mid-tempo in the verses
only to build up to solar explosions in the choruses as well as towards the
end. Reminds me in parts of Therapy’s ‘Lunacy Booth’ and that’s a great
accolade in my book. ‘Whatever’ is kind of dejected, weaving back and forth
between the emotions on hand. Ferocious in parts, slower and reflective in
parts. Mlny Parsonz from Royal Thunder guests wonderfully on vocals.
‘Cinderella’ is slow, meandering and haunting. Soft
tribal-like drumming and a thumping hypnotic bass line backs Mike’s bleak and
dejected vocals and some sinister guitar playing. It’s Backwoods Payback of the
old going full tilt on ‘Generals’ where they leave no stone unturned. A social
commentary at its most poignant. ‘Big Enough’ is grunge revisited and to me an
ode to move away, or at least cut bad influences out, and start over since life
as you know it brings you down badly.
Backwoods Payback never cease to amaze me and that certainly
hasn’t changed with ‘Future Slum’. On the contrary actually. The changes album
to album might be subtle but they do enough to move the band forward with each
release. And as much as that is refreshing for the listener, I’m sure the band
members themselves love to push the boundaries further. So, dear waveriders,
this album by one of America’s
best bands is a given for anyone who loves great music that doesn’t rest on its
laurels. Don’t miss on this, you hear!
-Swedebeast
*Band photo courtesy of Justin James Muir
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