By Ezra Lloyd
Share My Frequency is the newest release from Race To Neptune. Their newest release since last year’s “Abandon Fashion” — and straight out of the gate there is some real heft to this record.
There is an evolution happening in their style, musical forms, and production techniques. All the way through this record you get a sense that the band is maturing, some of the themes seem a little heavier and more specific instead of vague platitudes about the typical set of subjects like “girls” and “work.”
THE GOOD
The production quality of this record is a step in the right direction. In the “alternative” genre, the production mentality is one of: “If you are doing things right, people won’t notice you’ve done anything at all.” That can be tricky, especially for bands without an “LA level” budget behind them, but I think they have pulled it off — especially with how ambitious some of the tracks are, leaning into some difficult time changes and harmonic elements. The tracks “Her Last Vengeance” and “Watch It Bleed” are great examples of Race To Neptune really showing off their prowess without being cocky. It’s a rollercoaster of different hooks and moments that still feel cohesive without losing a listener, and must make for a killer live set.
THE BAD
While it has to be prefaced again that Share my Frequency is a really solid piece of work and a very solid step forward for Race to Neptune, yet it’s hard to pinpoint the breakout track on the album. Track 1 “Unnatural Desires” seems to be the closest to that song that is going to garner radio play, even then it’s difficult to say. Race To Neptune now has a difficult decision to make, one that every band at some point is faced with — continue to make exactly what they want to make and shirk at the idea of making anything for anyone, or cater a few tracks on their next album to try and capture a bigger audience who are going to enjoy their epic tracks like “Watch It Bleed.”
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THE VERDICT
The “to pander, or not to pander” question is one with no real answer. “Share My Frequency” is going to be hit amongst their fanbase, and it will most certainly get some new people into their world. Any band at this level releasing any music on a limited budget needs to capture as much of the market that they can. If they released something that is just slightly more accessible to the mainstream alternative market, there is a large group of people who would lose their minds that they have been missing out on Race To Neptune for so long.
