We’ve experienced a drought of shirtless Scottish rock in the four years since Biffy Clyro released their last studio album, The Myth of the Happily Ever After, but today, at long last, we have the release of their much-anticipated tenth album, Futique. The album’s title is a compound word, as explained by Simon Neil, combining “future” and “antique” to create the idea that all moments are potential antiques, good or bad, to be recalled down the track.
A few singles have already been released – “A Little Love”, “Hunting Season”, and “True Believer”, and they are enough to give an exciting tease of what’s to come. As always with Biffy, however, there are twists and turns around every corner.
Three tunes really dug their hooks into me quickly – “Woe Is Me, Wow Is You”, with a slow-burning intro, building into a faster tempo, and supposedly loosely based on their relationship as a band; “Friendshipping”, which feels like one the audience will get right into, particularly the rousing chorus of “friendships come and friendships go, some we’ll miss and some we won’t”; and “Goodbye”, which is the track that turned me to water instantly, and, for me, sits right alongside “Opposite” for heart-wrenchingly beautiful agony. Initially, I thought it was a break-up song, but I think it’s possibly darker than that. It will be interesting to see how other folk interpret it.
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Simon Neil is a masterful songwriter and lyricist. He’s a brilliant storyteller with a profound ability to deliver emotional body blows, complemented by a raw and powerful voice which can elicit the same response through either hard rock, screaming vocals or delicate, lilting singing. Wherever he wants to lead us, I’m willing to follow.
It’s also impossible to overlook the immense capacity and impact of the twin-powered rhythm section of Biffy Clyro. Ben Johnston and James Johnston are the turbo engines that drive Biffy’s low end, and there are so many instances on Futique that highlight their skills. It remains a mystery to me how they keep on top of the signature changes in intensity and tempo that fill their tunes, whilst managing to crank out killer harmonies throughout.
Futique continues to surprise me with every listen. There are so many layers to each song, and to the album overall, that just when you think you’ve formed a relationship with it, it shifts. Being primarily a visceral creature, my connection to music tends to be emotion-based, which can make putting a thought to paper a bit of a challenge. It’s for this reason that I can’t express what I think of this album in anything other than the way it makes me feel, which is that it’s a complex, exquisite, spin-cycle of emotion.
This may be studio album number ten, but it’s as good as those that have gone before, with enough new sounds to show their continued evolution. It’s fair to say that I love Futique, and I think Biffy Clyro has more than made up for their absence. Mon the mighty Biff.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Futique is available now. Grab it here.
Photo Credit: Eva Pentel
