Asylums

Asylums bring fiery anger to the socially charged Genetic Cabaret.


The band’s third LP is their loud and proud platform to vent. To vent about the political state of affairs, media confected crises, and suffering on a more personal level. The lyrical discontentment is matched musically with a revved-up rock sound energizing the lyrical fury.

Opener ‘Catalog Kids’ is instantly catchy with a nice Kaiser Chiefs vibe to it. Luke Branch sings:
“Maybe we’re just in time for something you can’t define, tyranny shake my hand reject the modern world, renting us a private hell, please don’t give us the hard sell…”.

If the first tune doesn’t quite confirm the cynical outlook for the listener then ‘Platitudes’ certainly will. The song appears to tell of a plague like isolation, spreading through a society grinding away, fueled by empty words and a lackluster future.

The guitar complements the beefy drum sound as it offers an unsettling almost alien -like quality. The listener is left under no illusion that the songs setting is a cold unsettling dystopia, far removed from the hope of a better life.

‘A Town Full of Boarded-Up Windows’ and ‘Who Writes Tomorrow's Headlines’ deals with the perils of disparity and the trouble with living in a media echo chamber.

While the former appears to take on the faded dreams of a people, neglected, ignored, and seemingly left to scrap desperately for every crumb of comfort. When hearing the song, it isn’t hard to imagine why people might shall we say, make unpopular decisions at the voting booth.


The latter, meanwhile, confidently takes on the various types of medias that constantly provide a slow boiling crisis. Seemingly always around and never quite resolved.
In one moment of his rage against the machine Branch. Sings:

“Nuances fill the surface but language has become a mystery, trapped inside monocultures broken reality..”.

The album has the feel of a cross between the aforementioned Kaiser Chiefs and a slightly amped up Enemy. Throughout the majority of the offering listeners will have no problem bopping along to most songs as the artists desperately convey the message of dissatisfaction and the need for change.

Sonically the project tends to stick to an, aggressive energetic approach. The pair of the guitar and the booming drums dominate most of the work and make for an enjoyable rock out session.
That said, ‘The Miracle Age’ and ‘Dull Days’ prove to be a slower less intense change of pace. ‘The Miracle Age’ Stands out as it shifts through the gears before hitting the throttle at the conclusion.


As ever with these righteous anger type projects your enjoyment will probably depend on how much you’re in the mood for moody gloom, as well as how much you share the record’s sentiments.

Nevertheless, if you’re looking for sharply written lyrics and a robust sound to match Genetic Cabaret might just be your cup of tea.