Ok, let me just say, I really wanted to like this album. Since “Get Free” hit the radio waves I’ve loved The Vines. Even the last album they put out, “Melodia” was pretty good. Not as good as “Highly Evolved” but pretty good. “Future Primitive” is their 5^th studio album and I have to be honest, it was not at all what I expected.

I read an interview where Lead Singer, Craig Nicholls said they wanted to go back to their “roots” with this album. Apparently their roots include incoherent song structures, lifeless melodies, and unimaginative lyrics.  

As soon as you start the engine on this album you’re greeted with “Gimme Love” which grabs you and shakes you awake. This was a great lively track that showcases what I believe Nicholla was really trying to accomplish with this entire record and serves as the only bright spot to this 13 track album. Sadly the high only lasts a little less than two minutes.

It was really hard for me to listen to this entire album since The Vines are best at showcasing a mix of 60’s rock with a modern rock twist. I really wanted this to bring them back into prominence but instead it just shows that Craig Nicholls still has a lot of inner demons to battle and may not be ready to write an album until he sobers up.

Thankfully a lot of songs are less than three minutes long which Nicholls says was intentional. “I just like early singles in the 60s, how they seemed to be very short.” This lends itself to lazy song writing and poor song structure. “Candy Flippin Girl” could be something you hear on a Beach Boys album but The Vines give it their touch which makes this track something I found my toes seemed to enjoy because they wouldn’t stop tapping. But again, it was a short lived ride since the song is around two and half minutes.

A couple of tracks had me shaking my head. It just seemed like Producer Chris Colonna took a break and forget to tell these guys to stop playing. Tracks like “Weird Animals” and “Outro” just seemed to be put together just to fill time in the album. The best way I could describe “Outro” would be a “shit sandwich.”

There are a few tracks on here that should have never made it on the album. Songs like “A.S.4 A.S.4” and “Black Dragon” make you wonder what the drug of choice was when these were recorded. To say these are unlistenable would be an insult to silence itself. They are quite possibly the worst songs I’ve ever heard in my life.

Look, I’m doing my best to not completely bash this album but if you’re my ears right now you may stage a mutiny. It’s not all bad though. In this day-and-age of buying single songs on Amazon or iTunes you are able to pick out the good and leave the bad to some other poor sap that needs to have every album The Vines put out. Here’s my recommendation, download “Gimme Love“, “Candy Flipping Girl“, “Future Primitive“, and “S.T.W” and when those 8 minutes are up find something else to do.

-JC

Tracklisting:

1. Gimme Love
2. Leave Me In The Dark
3. Candy Flippin Girl
4. A.S.4 A.S.4
5. Weird Animals
6. Cry
7. Future Primitive
8. Riverview Avenue
9. Black Dragon
10. All That You Do
11. Outro
12. Goodbye
13. S.T.W