‘When Life Treats You Funky’ the opening track on what is 8th Electric Boys album is all fans will need to hear to know that things are sounding very good indeed. There’s an immediacy to the opening of that song that casts your mind back to gems of the catalogue like ‘Groovus Maximus’: there’s almost more fun in that one song than we had on the rather dark pandemic-born last outing ‘Ups!de Down’. We hold that thought for the out and out funky Rock and Roll of ‘Better Safe Than Sober’ with it’s bouncing groove and breakneck pace.
Indeed by the time first single ‘I’ve Got A Feelin’’ kicks in you’re already feeling that this might be the complete package we’ve been waiting for because much as I loved later outings like ‘And Them Boys Done Swang’ (2011); ‘Starflight United’ (2014), and ‘The Ghost Ward Diaries’ (2018) there was always a feeling that they lacked some of the abandon of those 90’s records. The song itself is classic Hard Rock and whilst it lacks that shot of funk it’s a slick number pinned to a rock solid riff that screams 80’s Rock!
The album’s set piece ‘And The Band Played On (Part 1)’ (Part two rounds out the record) is a quirky mid tempo number that throw in the kitchen sink. With glimpses of The Stones, country picking, soulful backing vocals and an almost Southern Rock riff it’s shot through with the hand of funk and some killer guitar. It’s one that you can imagine sounding epic live and is bookended by the two singles.
Latest single ‘Domestic Blitz’ is just sheer fun, a rock solid riff and harder edge kick up a storm as it bass drives it all along. It’s a sort of funked up Zodiac Mindwarp -like statement that really hits the spot.
The infectious ‘Karma’s Gonna Get You’ follows all slick and funky; before ‘Missed Her By A Minute’ just makes you smile, it’s another seriously good song, a little lighter but just as catchy. ‘Learjet’ completes a trifecta of mid album gems with a nice down and dirty rocker.
The intriguingly-titled ‘Cozmic Jagger’ is shorter and sweeter with a funky groove – a nice shot of fun. ‘The Great Believer’ on the other hand rides a real pounding beat and is shot through with harmonies and a wailing guitar. We close with ‘And The Band Played On (Part 2)’ a short and succinct instrumental extension of the earlier song. A nice way to draw it all together.
If you loved these guys back in the day then whilst it’s hard to battle the nostalgia for the 70s groove rock and 60s psychedelia-laden ‘Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride’ and the glorious ‘Groovus Maximus’ there is more of a sonic echo here than you might imagine.
Some bands look back at their early work and feel that they have to move on, others just get fixated on endlessly repeating themselves. Here you feel that Electric Boys have chosen the best of both worlds – embracing the past but also managing to make it sound as fresh and exciting as ever. A real contender for album of the year.
8.5 / 10
TRACKLISTING:
1. When Life Treats You Funky
2. Better Safe Than Sober
3. I’ve Got A Feelin’
4. And The Band Played On (Part 1)
5. Domestic Blitz
6. Karma’s Gonna Get You
7. Missed Her By A Minute
8. Learjet
9. Cozmic Jagger
10. The Great Believer
11. And The Band Played On (Part 2)