The Futureheads - This is Not the World (Nul)
4/5
By: Hannah Clark
It has certainly been a turbulent time for The Futureheads over the last 2 years. In 2006 these cheeky Newcastle indie posters were dropped by their label 679 records, something which led to the band verging on breaking up. And now, with the release of their third album anticipation is high as to whether they can deliver tracks which justify their second chance. It's undeniable that the band had laid strong foundations for a flourishing career with their brave and angular take on Kate Bush's 'The Hounds of Love' which launched them to fame, but somehow even this wasn't enough. They were quickly dropped, a rash refusal to allow growth.
So has their recent experience been reflected musically? Most definitely, and to their advantage. There's a distinct sense of release with This Is Not The World, the band now having the ability to fully express themselves.
So we come to the first single released from the album, 'Beginning of the Twist'. From the first line ("its time to change") we are not allowed to think, we are instantaneously bombarded with a noise which addresses their "twist", a possible metaphor for this sharp change in direction, a revealing of their unforgiving brute force, but also a needed tonic from recent music which has become so formulaic, being produced purely for monetary gain.
And they have certainly taken up their own advice with a powerful release of punk ethic which refreshingly regenerates the band into what they have always wanted to be. This urgency to tell their side of the story is certainly not self pitying but oddly uplifting, a theme which is seamlessly carried throughout the album. The culmination of their silent struggle is addressed in 'Walking Backwards' - "we made a promise to keep our mouths shut and keep out of the way, that promise went too far". Obviously with their new punky edge comes frustration, but it does not overpower or annoy, instead it flaunts their new found independence.
From listening to my friends it seems that the Futureheads carry the Marmite effect, some love and some hate, but this album regardless of personal taste just shows how far they have come, unfazed by the toils and troubles which come with being in a band. This resilience proves a lot with a clear sense of satisfaction and irony infused subtly within the album as the band have achieved to produce something that showcases the physical realisation of the potential we knew they had which in turn proves to the music industry that perhaps they don't always do the right thing, underestimating their popularity with fans whose consistent loyalty has seen them through.
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