Slaves
Are You Satisfied?

The Slaves hail from Royal Tunbridge Wells, England. They are a duo composed of two twenty-somethings, Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman.

Their debut album, "Are You Satisfied?", has firmly placed them in the spotlight of the British public after a good run of EPs and singles, seeing its debut in the top ten and a nomination for the Mercury Prize 2015.

A fact that surprises even more when considering the genre proposed by this very young duo. Defined by many as British punk blues, in reality, theirs is a startlingly coherent and fitting amalgamation of various genres and influences, naturally converging into a unique and homogeneous sound, mainly thanks to the spontaneity of the offering.

A raw and almost naïve sound, into which the aforementioned genres certainly converge; but you can also find traces of rap and hip hop (not the polished kind like Jay Z, but rather the dry and ramshackle style of The Streets), noise, hard rock, and anything else that combines noise and melody.

The single "Cheer Up London" (the wonderfully nonsensical video is highly recommended), the best track on the album, is a clear guiding line for the entire work: a dry and granite guitar riff, perfectly balanced vocals between lazy rap with a cockney accent and punk irreverence, an engaging and instantly graspable refrain. And it all comes after the equally rock-solid opening with "The Hunter". From there, the album pleasantly accelerates, as in the engaging "Sockets" and "Do Something" (the latter being, in style, the little sister of "Cheer Up London"), and rarely slows down, as in the curiously acoustic title track placed midway through the album, as if the guys were trying to stop a falling boulder with their bare hands.

A few tracks inevitably go round in circles like a dog chasing its tail ("Ninety Nine" and "Live Like An Animal" seem unclear about where they're heading), but these are youthful sins that are gladly forgiven, at least for now.

Especially when they demonstrate the ability to even aim for intensity, as in the closing of "Sugar Coated Bitter Truth", a good omen for a hypothetical future.

Best track: Cheer Up London