Album Review: Biffy Clyro – Futique
3 min read
Biffy Clyro are one of the UK’s best known and most loved modern bands for good reason. Over twenty years into their stellar career, they’ve successfully hopped a number of genres, seen major recognition critically, and had a number of top 40 hits spanning the latter half of their journey, which is still going strong. Returning for their long-awaited ninth album, Futique sees the band going in a familiar but interesting direction.
Opener and lead single A Little Love brings listeners back to the groups familiar landscape. Bubbly synths, punchy drums, and an infectious melody, it acts as a perfect reintroduction. Cleanly produced, but bristling with boisterous energy, singer Simon Neil’s voice carries the meaning of the song just in his passionate vocals alone. Shot One has one of the most generic structures on the record but is packed with heartfelt lyrics about a failing love and a hooky bass line that drives the song along. True Believer is a multi-layered rocky journey of a song, featuring intriguing pauses in the music that allow little motifs to surprise and sometimes unnerve. Goodbye can officially be added to the band’s growing list of powerful ballads, it’s instrumentation and vocal performance managing to pull on your heartstrings effortlessly.
Friendshipping sails through on a wave of angular riffs and fizzy synths, while It’s Chemical brings in a swing while Simon sings about someone mentally lost in another time. Dearest Amygdala feels immediate, building its elements slowly over a steady groove. Parts sound reminiscent of an ABBA track, while others become ELO-inspired with harmonised guitar licks and synth pads. The finally song on the album is certainly one of the most emotionally charged. Two People In Love’s rich piano opening and thick bass riff draws the listener in before the huge chorus explodes into life, ending with a joint bass and guitar line which sounds as wonderful as it does unexpected. The climax builds and builds, culminating in a heavy finale that leaves you wanting more, in a good way.
Futique is a title with a complex meaning that suits this album. All the intricacies that Biffy Clyro have become known for are present, but on this they feel more refined and understood. The experimentation is apparent, the sheer joy of creation still at the heart of the songs, and it’s this that makes the group so unique. This record is a worthy follow-up to what has come before it, and is a great place for first-time listeners to begin their Biffy deep-dive.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
