It's been quite a while since we've had anything new from the haus of Swire and McGrillen. Knife Party have been unusually quiet for some time, with no new music and even a drop in the number of shows they've played recently.
Well, I say unusually quiet, but anyone who's familiar with Knife Party will know by now that you should never expect a release to arrive on time, or for any concrete news. In fact, the only thing you might hear for months at a time are the quiet sobs of fans who have been abused by Swire on Twitter (don't think badly of him - he's well know and loved for being a dick).
Recently, however, the curtain has been drawn back on their latest project, a fully fledged album.
First there were vague hints at deadlines for project completions. Then, we got at a name: Abandon Ship.
And now, following a sensational set at EDC Las Vegas, we have four new tracks, that were widely heard for the first time at the event.
For each new EP/project they do, KP seem to design one tune for the specific purpose of opening one of their sets - first Tourniquet, then Rage Valley, and most recently Power Glove. This time around is no different, as they opened with a thumping new track that as of now doesn't have a name, and is simply know as ID #1. As the track approaches the drop, the duo's ability to pick just the right vocal sample is displayed again. "You call that a knife? THIS is a knife," a quote from The Simpsons, based on the famous one from Crocodile Dundee. Given how appropriate it is, it's a wonder they haven't used it before now. Anyway, it's a barnstorming track, reminiscent slightly of EDM Death Machine with it's thumping drums and high pitched synths.
Next came what was, judging by crowd reaction, possibly the best received new track, and it was definitely this blogger's favourite. Thought by the internetz to be called Abandon Ship, as the album is, the track has a distinctly Arabian feel. It slowly builds up with this, introduces a stabbing bass line, and then we're off. The track is relentless, with an energy that only Knife Party can seem to bring.
Then came a real crowd/fan-pleaser. We knew that Rob had been recording new vocals just a few days beforehand, and here we were presented with the fruits of his labour. It's easy to forget that as well as being an incredibly talented producer, he's also a talented vocalist and instrumentalist. It was so good to hear those vocals again, in a track that felt very different to anything the duo have done before, but still very Knife Party-esque.
The song (which I've named "Begin Again" here, but that could be bollocks) is considerably more melodic than anything they've done before, and possibly offers a glimpse as to what we can expect the album from their other, massively-successful project, Pendulum, to sound like.
@mikpwn that's great man :) glad it helped
— Rob Swire (@rob_swire) June 23, 2014
The final new track, again simply called ID #2, is probably the weakest of the four, but if this is as weak as the album gets we're in for a treat. A massive buildup leads to glitchy drop that hits hard, and is again slightly reminiscent of EDM Death Machine. The melodic chords at the beginning, and the buildup sound remarkably similar to ShockOne's Harmonize; as they used to work together, this is perhaps unsurprising.
Though it's too early to review anything properly yet, the signs are promising for Knife Party's debut album - especially given that these are just demos that could change significantly. Knife Party seemed to go through a rough patch, where the ideas seemed to dry up and the music became derivative (LRAD, anyone?). But the evidence here suggests that they're back on top of their game, and with more new tracks to be debuted and streamed at Tomorrowland in just a few weeks, it's a good time to be a Knife Party fan.
Writer, musician, and all-round top guy. I set up Excited Octopus. Currently, I'm on a one man team. It gets lonely sometimes. But I don't mind, because I love you all.
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