The first sound on STRFKR’s new album “Being No One, Going Nowhere” is a synthesizer that sounds like it’s straight out of an 80s sci-fi film — quirky and unconventional. The rest of the album follows suit, with lots of 80s-inspired beats and electronic sounds.
However, like the cheap, recurring themes of those sci-fi flicks, this record is nothing new or special. In fact, STRFKR doesn’t seem to push any boundaries at all. Instead, they rely almost completely on their past sounds and ideas, hoping they can get away with it once again. As a result, the record falls flat. While some of the songs are popular and promising, the work as a whole will inevitably fades into obscurity.
STRFKR’s release of the indie hit “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second” back in 2008 gave the band some popularity in the alternative music world, but since then, their sound hasn’t evolved much. “Being No One, Going Nowhere” provides some funky bass lines and interesting synth textures, but the album’s boring characteristics mostly come from the unconventional chord progressions and the tired, flat vocals of lead singer Joshua Hodges.
In previous records, Hodges expanded his voice, using higher notes and tones to create some space and drama within the songs. However, in “Being No One, Going Nowhere,” his voice stays on one level basically the entire time. While the album’s instrumentals sound promising in the beginning, Hodges’ lackluster voice — completely void of any emotion — causes the songs to eventually fade into the background, providing perfect music to tune out on a long drive or run. The music just doesn’t have the emotional inspiration to create anything incredibly meaningful.
However, not all hope is lost. Songs like “Open Your Eyes” have garnered high ratings thanks to catchy rhythms, bass lines and choruses. In the song, Hodges provides some rhythm through the repeated line, “take my body,” scattered all across the chorus. “Open Your Eyes” also gives Hodges the opportunity to take his voice somewhere new, as he travels down to a lower pitch throughout the verses. All of these subtle changes provide more movement in the song, which gives “Open Your Eyes” an edge compared to the rest of the setlist.
Perhaps it’s their constant desire to hide from the sounds of conventional alternative music, or maybe they really don’t know how to do anything else, but one thing is for certain — STRFKR has not moved beyond their comfort zone with “Being No One, Going Nowhere.” In the future, perhaps, the band will finally move past their limits and try something new, but for now, they’re still about as boring as a piece of white bread.
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