Innerpartysystem - Never Be Content

In signing to Red Bull Records, you might be forgiven for thinking that Innerpartysystem have ‘sold out’. After all, it doesn’t get much more commercial than the energy drink whose aggressive marketing campaign has bought up and rebrand football and motor-sport teams. The band don’t see it that way though. After being dropped by Island, they have described Red Bull as being “an overall positive influence”. But let’s put all that to the side for now, and concentrate on the music.

The first thing to mention about this EP is that it is long. Really bloody long. Despite having only six tracks, the running time is 36 minutes. There are albums that are shorter, but it’s a brave move from the electro-rock outfit. Veering between the Chemical Brothers and Nine Inch Nails, ‘Never Be Content’ may not appeal to rock purists, but there are still elements of tradition in this forward-thinking release. For example, the crunching synths in lead single and standout track, ‘American Trash’, which hit home like a Slayer guitar riff. Other tracks, such as opener ‘And Together’, an excellent club banger, blend techniques from the two genres perfectly. With a huge synth hook, while also featuring a noodly 8-bit solo, it is just crying out for a rocked-out cover version to be made.

Sometimes though, it seems this EP has merely been used as a practice for their new dance direction, and there are times when it feels like they are still getting used to it. Voice effects are overused with no real impact on ‘Money Makes The World Go Round’, and the longer tracks, especially ‘Squid’, are essentially playgrounds for sonic experimentation which would have been a lot more effective if they had been condensed. IPS are still finding their feet in the world of dance music, which is understandable, but with an album scheduled for later this year they’d better learn fast.