Reformat – Precursed
Reformat – Precursed
Fearbone
Release Date: 18/08/23
Running Time: 37:00
Review by Laura Barnes
8/10
According to their press release, Reformat aims to create a sound with ‘moments of jubilant beauty’. Recently, my music taste has been on the more morbid end of things, and I figured that Reformat would be a vibrant antidote to the endless misery. Inspired by vintage Pop alongside Electronica and Metal, Reformat describe themselves as an experimental band, but I think I may have coined a term that suits them better: ‘Neo-Rock’.
Synths are abound throughout “Precursed”, leading the musical charge alongside high-energy drums and sweeping guitars. The vocals take a back seat here, but when they do emerge they are immediately attention grabbing. Vocalist Luke Pajak makes good use of speech emulators and heavy processing, warping his voice so much that it sounds like Reformat’s frontman is not quite a human, but not quite a robot either – a cyborg, maybe! Nowhere is this more effective than on ‘Tsygan’, a song so powerful and moving that it stays in your head long after the final note.
As the album progresses, it becomes clear that “Precursed” is a work of hope, a radical, defiant joy in the face of suffering. ‘Detrusa’ has a joyous, exhilarating feel to it, like taking a breath of fresh air on top of a mountain – the fact that the synths seem to morph into bagpipes at a couple of points helps with this feeling too. Fans of the ambient may find ‘Astromanx’ particularly enjoyable, its clever and subtle use of repetition allowing you to get lost in the song without drifting into boredom. ‘Prince Valium’ also stands out, thanks to its whirling climax which sees Emo-Punk sounding guitars clash two separate synths, creating a musical friction that pays off in the best way possible. It’s happy, it’s sad, it’s every emotion at once – which I think is exactly what Reformat were going for. The album closes out with a rather mellow three minutes in the form of ‘Postbreath’ before it fading away. While I can see what they were going for with this epilogue-like ending, I can’t help but feel like ‘Prince Valium’ would have made a much stronger finish.
Another minor criticism is that, as a heavily instrumental act, it occasionally becomes difficult to differentiate one track from the next, as there are similar melodies and motifs throughout. This, however, is a challenge faced by many instrumental acts, and one that Reformat will certainly be able to overcome with time. For those who enjoy this sort of music, the 37 minutes will likely fly by with ease.
After spinning this record a couple of times, I can confidently say that there are many moments of ‘jubilant beauty’ on this album, and it has been an absolute pleasure to share in them. Reformat clearly love the process of making music, and this euphoria leaks through to the listener. Excellent work from a unique and original band.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Precursed
02. Obsolethal
03. Tsygan
04. Haruspex
05. Paroxysms
06. Detrusa
07. Dead Place
08. Astronanx
09. Sierra Oscar
10. Prince Valium
11. Postbreath
LINE-UP:
Luke Pajak – Vocals, Guitars, Synths
Russ Russel – Production, synths, programming
Jay Russel – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
