Are You Satisfied,Slaves Review

Kent duo Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent have been trying to inject a bit of cockney-esque mirth into the British indie scene for about two years now with varying degrees of success. Being a two piece in an age of maximalism begs for a razor edge. It has appeared that the pair have locked into old-school punk and simplicity to drag audiences away from the mundanity of some bands. Their debut album Are You Satisfied stretches the style to the max, with varying degrees of success.

The vivacity and energy of Slaves is obvious from the onset of the album. The Hunter menaces and prowls with a Isaac fantasising about the apocalyptic future we are about to enter with a Kentish swagger and confidence before the song blasts into a grungey clanger. Both on record and live Slaves  pull no punches as every set will finish topless and glistening. The raw energy and animalistic energy is pushed throughout. In songs such as Despair And Traffic and Do Something the pair act as a psychopathic Paul Mckennas trying to improve the mundanity of all our lives. Hey acts as much the same, vicious riffs and bloody lyricism makes Slaves one of the most visceral bands around. The overall sound and feel of the album is similar to a one night stand- in and out without so much as a kiss on the cheek. The songs all follow the same idea, which coincidently follow Shia LaBeouf's speech here:


Although beginning as punk, Slaves have appeared to upset the status quo of rock and indie by trying to be a little bit funny. As the band perfect their sound further, the more cartoonish and zany their image has become. For example, the artwork is bright pink with two cuter than cute dogs sitting innocently. Self directed videos have varied from cartoon lands filled with manta rays and Shaun Williamson as an ice cream vendor, Slaves don't shy away from a bit of comedy. This becomes apparent in animated screamers such as Wow!!7AM and Feed The Mantaray. The lyrical content is nonsensical and tongue in cheek, juxtaposed with still furious backing crowds can still mosh without embarrassment. However, the simplicity of some of the songs can lead to a cringeworthy solo listening.

The cartoonish characters Slaves have created for themselves is their jewel and their downfall. Take away the vocals and you are left with basically 13 of the same songs. The two-dimensional choruses wear somewhat thin by the last third of the album, despite the Sleaford Mods inspired Ninety Nine and interesting layering of Sugar Coated Bitter Truth. Are You Satisfied is good, but a little more intellectualism wouldn't go a miss.