Teaming up with the brilliant Alcopop! Records once again, Fight Like Apes make a welcome return with the fantastically named ‘Whigfield Sex Tape’ EP. Bringing back memories of awful school discos and that dance, alas the EP doesn’t find Fight Like Apes heading into mid-90s pop territory, but instead retains their trademark synth-drenched bold and prickly sound, but now with a franker outlook.
Fight Like Apes are a real cult favorite (hence being perfect for Jack Clothier’s roster), and this EP opens with some force as the dynamic vocals of MayKey sing ‘Why do you look at me that way?’ over and over again on the opening ‘Crouching Bees’. With an anthemic singalong approach, there’s also a beautiful bitterness in her voice as she sings ‘She’s a waste of time’. Unashamedly a pure pop song, the electro sound recalls the open-hearted honesty of Tegan and Sara. ‘Bwah’ opens in less frantic fashion, although things are never quite what you expect with Fight Like Apes – synth player Pockets’ opening vocals are given a robotic makeover! After this, MayKay takes over in the forefront and, with an alluring cheek, delivers wonderfully twisted and eccentric lyrics about ‘making records with knives and forks’ and ‘making shoes with spinal chords’.
The keyboard-led ‘The Hunk and Fun Palace’ lives up to its title by not only being highly imaginative, but also adding a killer chorus and providing unadulterated fun in the vein of Future Islands or Emperor Yes. There’s no pretension on this EP, just massively joyous pop songs that are immediately appealing and so much fun. The closing ‘Tyson’ opens with a more traditional piano sound, although this does not last long. Synths are thrown into the melting pot as the song evolves into something more synth-laden, although darkness looms in the subject matter as the band ask ‘Where’d it all go?’ over and over again, making you ask the same questions about yourself… Despite this, with ‘Whigfield Sex Tape’, Fight Like Apes have come up with an EP to soundtrack many a fine Saturday night.
Find out more about Fight Like Apes:
fightlikeapesmusic.com
facebook.com/fightlikeapes
@fightlikeapes
Filed under: EP review, New music, Preview Tagged: Alcopop Records, alternative music, EP review, Fight Like Apes, indie music, MayKay, new music, pop music, punk music, Whigfield, Whigfield Sex Tape