The Bad Dudes formula of high-pitched, percussive melodies, eerie space-age synth, and far-away vocals against a backdrop of urgent, genius-but-schizo drumming that could stop on a dime and often does—it’s all very extreme in an other-worldly kind of way, like if aliens took Adderall and decided to start a band solely to cover the intro to Yes’ “Foreplay/Long Time.”
Eat Drugs, the follow-up LP to their self-titled debut from three years ago, pushes that envelope even further, and the gleeful musicianship typical of prog has become even more unrelenting as Bad Dudes move away from the meandering tracks found on their last full-length in favor of a tighter, more spastic composition. Opening track “Mjölner” makes that clear within the first ten seconds, and nary a rest can be found on the following eleven tracks besides a couple of brief interludes stuffed into the middle of songs or the puzzling fifty-five second “Finger,” a dreamy, sing-song calm before the storm of closer “Preteen Wolf.”
As the album progresses, the onslaught of technical exuberance becomes tiresome. Songs are almost interchangeable because each track, however dynamic, is dynamic in the same way, leading to an overall stagnancy. The two that break free from the formula are unsurprisingly the most enjoyable tracks on Eat Drugs. “Better Than Nature” shows up early with funk-influenced electro dance reminiscent of an unabashed Daft Punk, and the rehashed, analog “Cabana Boyzz, B.C.” is a wiggle-inducing number that attests to Bad Dudes’ party persona.
– Kristena Adamo
Bad Dudes: www.baddudes.net
Retard Disco: www.retarddisco.com