It’s their first LP in a decade. That statement by itself might sound very outrageous, but it has been pretty hunky dory for a fan of the four-piece from Chennai since the release of their second full-length “Triggerpunkte” in 2016.
They steadily dropped smaller chunks of music in the form of amazing singles and EPs “WKND FRNDS” and “Is It Time to Eat the Rich Yet?”, before taking some time off to work on their third record “All Dogs Go To Heaven”. I feel like The F16s are the kind of band whose sonics keep evolving and changing, but they still maintain a very cohesive atmosphere around them, their music oozes that “them” factor. Teased with the banging single “Mt. Whateverest”, this is a record a lot of people have been waiting for, so let’s get into it.
Track one. “Fee Fi Fo Fum”. A sinister-sounding riff which sounds like it would be right at home as the score of a Mexican standoff eases into a slow, laid-back instrumental which has an almost beachy vibe to it. Those dissonant chords that play in the middle of the progressions scratch that itch in my brain, beautiful. It swells into this bittersweet jazzy ballad, almost like a two-for-one song. Second song in, this has a yacht rock vibe to it, the kind of music you play while chilling on a yacht in the sun, beer in hand. Like the first song, this also gets embellished with a bunch of elements around the halfway mark, completing the arc of the track, so to speak.
“Mt. Whateverest” is the third track, which was also the lead single from this record. Another absolute banger, I knew this record was gonna be a must-listen when I heard this. It’s a mash up of glitzy synth pop with super expressive vocal delivery. The fire half-vocoded effect in the pre-choruses being an example of the psychedelic sounds explored this time around. Closing out with a guitar solo for good measure.
LMAO sees them in their Beatles bag in the intro, those flutes sound straight out of the 60s Mellotron era. It carries on as an operatic-esque song until the drums come out of absolutely nowhere and square punch you into the outro chorus. The lyrics are really interesting, it sees the narrator alternating between saying super vulnerable and lovey things, and the chuckle-worthy LMAO chorus, almost like he’s laughing at himself being this way, or the idea of love itself.
The pocket and groove is thoroughly locked on “Back in the City” because of the syncopated guitar lines and vocals, with the bass and drums holding it down. The chorus is easily one of my favourite moments on the album, the drums just drop out and are replaced with hollow percussion, it makes the music feel fluid and dynamic. “So Unique, Utterly Special” is another rocky expedition with some more experimental and psychedelic elements thrown in.
“Trickortreat”, an ode to the spooky season that just went by, starts off lo-fi-ish, until the chorus hits and the vocals come cutting through, joined by a hard drum groove. The instrumental in the next verse gives off a very strong hip-hop vibe, I could see a 90s group flowing over this. The delivery is sultry and sounds like acceptance. I love the sunny side up wordplay in the chorus.
Distorted grungey guitars and drums are the name of the game for “Little Mama’s boy”, and the delivery is also very reminiscent of Kurt Cobain, matches the energy perfectly. A bridge section follows which flows into a calmer second section, leading into a guitar solo and choir outro, with a little surprise at the end. “Secret Garden” is a soft little instrumental that follows the vocal lines, with the transcendental vocal harmonies adding to the ambience, until the drums come in and it’s a whole new world. Synth lines and chords pinging off in the background, all I need are my sunglasses and neon lights on my face, we’re going full 80s here.
“Rocknrollisdead” brings back the mellotron flutes, building with basslines and minor melodies into an epic guitar riff, following a laid back instrumental that the titular vocals “Rock and roll is dead” ride until the end, fading out into an end to this record.
A super concise release which feels way longer than it is (in the best way possible). The two-for-one structure of songs almost feels like some funny compensation for the decade long wait. The F16s emit a feeling-like-themselves energy on this, and every song feels very intentionally and intricately composed, worked on, reworked on, and polished. The record feels built and constructed with intent.
