AFIBodies

An ominous drone ushers in thunderous drums. “We watched the world/Turn itself backward …” – what an opening statement Twisted Tongues makes!

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Throughout Bodies, AFI flex their virtuosity over a rollicking tempo like the finely oiled machine that they are, but their music also flirts with vulnerability and embodies humanness.

Far Too Near, which contains lyrics fit for a John Hughes movie soundtrack (“I’d give my heart to you, if I could”), calls to mind The Horrors. Dulceria, though! That sexy bassline and romantic sentiment: “I love you moooooooooore!” – this song deserves to be as iconic as Eloise by The Damned.

A sonic masterpiece that demands repeat listens.

It’s not until song four that we’re treated to an unreleased track and for On Your Back Davey Havok channels Robert Smith. Standout track Back From The Flesh is understated and gothic, Havok’s vocals a tip of the hat to Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan. When Looking Tragic’s arrangement strips back to just the bassline, it’s a Muse moment of Time Is Running Out proportions.

Closer Tied To A Tree billows in like an emo lullaby (“In the blackest hole/Hid the whitest hare”), before anthemic choruses and melancholic melodies collide in an extreme example of verse/chorus dynamic contrast. For the duration of Bodies, every single instrumental part is given space to shine with guitarist Jade Puget’s production prioritising maximum sheen. A sonic masterpiece that demands repeat listens.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Twisted Tongues, Dulceria, Back From The Flesh
STICK THIS NEXT TO: The Horrors, My Chemical Romance, Muse