It takes a total of about two seconds to recognise the work of Melbourne-based Kiwis Shihad in the opening track of their latest offering, FVEY. A better hit than a double-shot mocha-choca-latte with added rocket fuel, it bursts forth with their familiar intense sound, waking every cell in your being.
FVEY, pronounced Five Eyes, refers to the cooperation of surveillance and intelligence material between the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, which was formalised to include the latter three countries in 1955.
The album is the result of the band’s discomfort regarding the evolution of our society under the dominance of corporate and government elements – leaving the world, and ourselves, in a state of moral decay and soullessness. Toogood’s lyrics call for us to wake up from being twisted and contorted into puppets for the powers-that-be, and to cease surrendering our privacy and control blindly.
Standout songs are title track FVEY, Grey Area, Think You’re So Free, and my personal favourite, Cheap As, which features some of the best lyrics on the album – including “he who owns the drilling owns the national paper, pays off those elected meant to do our bidding”. Though the songs are filled with a sense of frustration and dismay there is comfort to be taken from their ability to articulate what so many of us see happening around us.
Their sound is tight and beautifully executed, with Jon Toogood’s vocals as good, if not better, than ever. Karl Kippenberger’s bass is a faultless engine under the solid drums of Tom Larkin and Phil Knight’s keys and guitar. The band, along with Producer Jaz Coleman, have created a polished, but not overly slick, album.
This is Shihad in top form, powerful and driven, with the same old-school sound that snagged them fans years ago, yet with a maturity and honesty that a couple of decades of experience and collaboration brings. It’s a more than welcome return to the powerhouse rock that makes them icons in both Australia and their native New Zealand.
Review Score: 9.1 out of 10 
FVEY is in stores now.
———-
