Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Rush to Relax

Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Rush to Relax
Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s third studio album, Rush to Relax is already a hit in their native Australia. The band rose to prominence with a critically successful eponymous debut album and winning 30k in an Australian song writing contest.
On their latest album, the band puts forth the same kind of post-punk/art-punk that has garnered them acclaim. The album’s opening track, “Anxiety” is a surf punk-influenced jam that sounds like the Queers being fronted by Jarvis Cocker. “I’ve Got a Feeling” still has the same punk feel but the guitars are a little more jangle pop-influenced. It sounds like Peter Buck on speed. “Walked Into a Corner” is the shortest track on the album at just under a minute. The track sounds like Minutemen if being fronted by Eddie Argos of Art Brut.
But past their more punk tracks, ECSR has a whole other dimension. The group has long sprawling songs that break into Television-esque jam sessions. “Tuning Out” clocks in at just over six and half minutes. The track’s long, drawn out, snaky guitar solo reminds me of The Doors. “Second Guessing” clocks in at just over seven minutes. The tracks sounds like Wire song with a Ray Manzarek keyboard solo thrown in the middle of it.
Although the song styles showcased on the album are very different, it adds to the band’s dynamic sound. I usually prefer faster music, but I actually think Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s longer, slower songs are better than their punk-influenced stuff. The band generally uses the slower songs to highlight their musicianship and songwriting while the faster songs seem to be an excuse for the band to dumb down their music. The lyrics on the fast songs are generally cringe worthy.
Overall, Rush to Relax is a mixed bag. It definitely has high moments but I do not necessarily see the award winning level songwriting that the band touts. It definitely has some high moments, but some poorly written lyric keep the album from being great.
Rating: 7.3/10
MP3: Eddy Current Suppression Ring “Second Guessing”
Buy: iTunes, Insound

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