Fear 2 Stop - Perpetrator

Hear The Track Here

No one was more surprised than me at the last Fear 2 Stop track I reviewed, wherein Soundclick's favourite awkward squad got down all funky - albeit in a very Fear 2 Stop kinda way. If you shudder at the mention of the name, read no further because not much has changed in the F2S camp. The thing is, I do like what Fear 2 Stop do, although it hasn't always been the case. I have, however, watched them develop from struggling-to-understand experimental electronica musicians to the present Fear 2 Stop; decidely unique to them and - it has to be said - probably an acquired taste. I have it obviously, having reviewed their music endlessly for well over four years now...

My how time flies...

The main perp of F2S's work is one Billy Castillo (synth, bass, vocals, drum machine) aided and abetted by wife Dana and friend Raymond and they have developed a very distinctive sound. Yes, it might be a sound that irritate a lot of people but once you become acclimatised to the way this trio works, there is a certain lure to their music that I can relate to. Although the had a very commercial patch a while ago, Fear 2 Stop have gone back to where they come from and although now billed under Indietronic anyone familiar with the band will access this track immediately - it has all of the familiar sonic landmarks.

The words 'drum machine' should have given you a clue and - in many ways - its that inclusion that has saved F2S's bacon more than once or twice. It's a bit of a trademark of Billy's to dot the aural landscape with nice tom figures and Perpetrator has the full set. It also has the requisite amount of musical wtf'ery that is often a side effect of Fear 2 Stop's musical predelictions. If I had to describe them sonically I would say they are a retro band, but not any retro band you could name; and even the retro would only cover the analog instrumentation that is also a feature of Fear 2 Stop musical armoury. Give it time, like a lot of Fear 2 Stop tracks, and it might surprise you.

Fear 2 Stop, as only they can do it. Highly Recommended Indietronic.