SKIP THE USE: Past & Future (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

We thought Skip The Use was definitely dead and buried since the split announced in November 2016 by Mat Bastard in the press because of musical disagreements, the latter wishing in particular to launch a solo project concretized in 2017 with the album "Loov". Meanwhile, Yan built the project The Noface that led to the production of "Chapter One" with Oma Jali on vocals and then embarked on a festival tour that was well received. But in music you should never say never and it was in 2018 that Mat announced a partnership with Yan to revive the band that made them known.

This early autumn sees the release of the album "Past And Future", allowing to warm up even more the French rock climate. From the outset, the cover gives an indication of the musical orientation adopted by the band, which will draw even more from the 80s than before, while adding to their compositions a modern touch of synth-pop with this still very energetic base. It's as if the two solo projects had served as the basis for this new album by being the perfect synthesis of it.

The first single "Forever More" does not deny this observation with a first calm verse, before an ultra dynamic suite. We find this fusion between rock and a little funky side in the chorus. Skip The Use remains the master at merging genres. Such is the case of the second single ('Damm Cool') which represents the alloy between the past with more synthetic layers and the future present in a modern explosive chorus cut for live performance. The funky aspect is evident in this album with "Goal" which appears as a small novelty for Skip The Use, exploring other sounds, more soothed in this pseudo ballad, at least with the contained energy that will be counterbalanced a little further in "Get Papers", terribly more catchy.

In addition to the energy that the band releases to get the audience moving and reacting live, it sometimes becomes more serious and a vehicle for political messages with "Marine" where Mat expresses all "love" for the patriotic nationalist as a warning to what is hidden behind a discourse. In line with its time, Skip The Use denounces social networks which, under cover of anonymity, remain a lawless zone.

If this reformation may be subject to all interpretations - a real desire to work together again or an opportunistic spirit linked to the success of the Skip The Use "brand", whatever ! The band will probably not care and the public can only rejoice in the return of the friendly northern group who transforms everything they touch into gold. - Official website

SKIP THE USE

PAST & FUTURE

POLYDOR

ROCK