The Voidz - Like All Before You (2024) Review
I am a pretty big fan of Julian Casablancas’ songwriting, so I was excited to see a new Voidz album released since I had not been keeping up with their news. I was a big fan of Tyranny (2014), which takes me right back to my first semester in college, and Virtue (2018), the more polished and better album overall.
The album begins with “Overture,” a short analogue-sounding instrumental. I like it since it reminds me of background music from old horror and sci-fi movies from the 1950s. “Square Wave” follows, and the auto-tune comes off incredibly strong. Scaling back some of the auto-tuning during the verses could’ve worked better. The bass and melody give a similar sound to something like Beach Fossils or Ariel Pink, and I enjoy the instrumental overall. This is not a terrible song or anything, but the vocal production could be better, and it stops me from loving it.
“The Prophecy of the Dragon” has potential but ultimately falls flat. It begins with an 80s-inspired intro but introduces too much that it begins to sound messy. There are moments in the song I enjoy, but it’s just a little too long for what it offers, and the 80s hair metal riff is so generic that you get tired of it by the end of the song.
It surprises me that “7 Horses” is one of the more popular songs on the album. The melody on the guitar reminds me of “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” by of Montreal, which is a superior song in every way. And while I can appreciate the arpeggio work, this just ends up sounding like a demo more than a concise and fleshed-out song. There are moments where the bass is too loud and flat sounding that it takes over the mix.
“Spectral Analysis” has a lovely piano part, and I think the song is fine, though I am not in love with it. I wish they had done something more interesting with it since it stays pretty stagnant the entire time. There is a part at around 2 minutes and 45 seconds where things sound like they’re going to start distorting and modulating, but before it actually does, it takes you right back to what you’ve been listening to for the entire song.
“Flexorcist” is by far the best song on the album. It has the most upbeat intro on the album, and it is what The Voidz do right: poppy, experimental, and a bit zany. The melody is much more in line with what you would expect from Julian Casablancas. This song is similar to a weird and warped version of Orange Juice, and that is an amazing thing. The track is six minutes long, yet you don’t really feel its length, it gives you something to chew on. The album would’ve been better if they followed this song, which sort of sounds like a step forward from Virtue, anyways.
I’m not much of a fan of “Perseverance - 1C2S.” I do think the chorus is decent, the combo of the synth and vocal melody work very well for me. The rest of the song is whatever, I could live the rest of my life without listening to it ever again, and I wouldn’t miss a thing. “All the Same” has an okay instrumental track, but it still only ever feels like a demo that doesn’t reach its potential. I am not an auto-tune hater. I can enjoy it very much when it is done well and creatively, but here, it is so upfront and overwhelming. There are flashes of classic Julian Casablancas songwriting, but overall, this sounds like a scrappy demo.
“When Will the Time of These Bastards End” should’ve been cut from the album for the intro vocals alone. This gives off sci-fi/horror B-movie villian in a musical vibes. Get this shit off the album. This song may be the worst thing Julian Casablancas has ever released. It reminds me of Peter’s Dracula comedy musical in, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The voice modulation is horrible; this sounds like Human Sadness’s abortion.
The final song on the album is “Walk Off (Outro),” and it mirrors “Overture” book-ending the album. It’s not too bad that they bookend the album that way, but it feels like an afterthought in order to make the album seem more cohesive and thematic than it is.
All in all, this album suffers too much from songs that sound like demos and not in a charming and complete way, like in a Mac Demarco analog sort of way. It feels unpolished and unfinished. I am not this giant Ai hater. Some retards hate this album because they used Ai artwork for the cover, but I couldn’t give a flying fuck about that. There are actual complaints and criticisms that matter on this album. People who bitch incessantly about Ai remind me of people who used to say that auto-tune is cheating and EDM with loops and samples isn’t real music etc. Ai is a tool that can be abused, but it can also be used as a tool for creativity. There are moments on Like All Before You I enjoy, and “Flexorcist” stands out to me, but I do not see any way I can enjoy this more than their first two albums. In all honesty, you could’ve told me this is a B-sides and demos compilation, and I would have believed you.
Speedrun the Album: “Overture,” “Squarewave,” “Flexorcist”
This would have worked better as a short EP.
3/10 -Not Good