As Britain stares down the barrel of another five years of austerity, it’s disappointing that so few of the country’s musicians have anything to say about the very bad times that are heading our way. Slaves, however, have very definitely got something to say about the state of the world and Are You Satisfied? is the roar of a generation that knows that no-one is coming to save them.
“The Hunter” sets out Slaves’ stall with equal parts social observation and wild hedonism. Isaac Holman’s thumping beat and Lauire Vincent’s menacing guitar back a chant of “It’s reckless and it’s pointless but it’s also very fun” and things really take-off. Punk rock zest fuels most of the other tunes from the Ramones-esque velocity of “Sockets” to the raw and primal Cerebral Ballzy-like hardcore thrash of “She Wants Me Now”. However, there is nothing one-note about Are You Satisfied? “Ninety Nine” is an electronics-heavy blinder of a tune with a throbbing and insistent groove that recalls electro-punk pioneers Suicide, while the title track is an acoustic piano and guitar blues-flavoured ballad. Nevertheless it is the lairy and gritty tunes, like “Hey” and its menacing warning about feral kids with nothing to do – “They’ll tear you apart!” – and the lively “Cheer Up London” with its sly digs at our friends in the Capital and the crazy lives that they have to live just to make ends meet, that really provide the meat of an exhilarating album that is just what the doctor ordered.
Are You Satisfied? has taken some stick elsewhere in the media for not being as impressive as Slaves’ live show. If that really is the case, they must be something special on stage because this album is one heady brew.
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