Formed in 1989, EMF stormed into the public consciousness with Unbelievable, a timeless anthem that has lost none of its potency in the intervening thirty-two years. The band’s initial phase ran until 1995, yielding three albums, albeit with diminishing chart success, and the band split. A brief reunion in 2001 saw the band return to the stage, but the tragic death of bassist Zac Foley intervened, and the band split once more in 2002. Since then, the band have reformed for various live shows, but this is the first time that the various members have gather to record new material. The result, Go Go Sapiens is, therefore, the band’s first LP in twenty-seven years, although you’d never know it from energy on display. Boasting eleven tracks, Go Go Sapiens, was recorded in the summer of 2021, a period of uncertainty from which the world has yet to fully recover, although only Greatest Day hints at the turmoil surrounding the recording.
The album opens with the mid-paced stomp of Started It. James Atkins’ instantly recognisable vocal remains front and centre, while Ian Dench’s guitars add the necessary grit to the chorus. Built around a similar framework to Unbelievable, it’s a strong opening track that harks back to EMF’s auspicious breakthrough, while instantly underscoring the fact that the band have learned plenty of new tricks in the intervening years. This latter point is emphasised further by the excellent single, Sister Sandinista, which has a dirty, post-punk vibe reminiscent of Death In Vegas’s collaboration with Bobby Gillespie. Based on the sort of dirty riff beloved by AC/DC, Sister Sandinista builds to a potent climax, only to be swept away by the breezy Stay Classy San Diego. The sound of a summer’s day distilled into an indie anthem that sits somewhere between Blur’s Pavement period and Dodgy, Stay Classy San Diego would make an excellent follow up single, not least because it has a chorus destined to eat its way into your soul. The post punk vibe returns on the rippling Crime Of Passion, a track that makes use of Cure-esque synths and a more restrained vocal style. It still packs a melodic punch and, like the bulk of the tracks here, proves effortlessly addictive, but it’s a calmer moment, that helps to keep things varied. Squelchy synth and dusty guitar provide the backing to We Are The Free, a hazy anthem with a Screamadelica vibe that just seems to tap into the hedonism and joy of the festival experience. As such, it’s easy to imagine We Are The Free ringing out across a Somerset field and uniting the entire audience in youthful zeal – a trick the band repeat on the similarly blissed out Equilibrium.
Opening the second side, the twisty Keep It Coming sees Atkins’ voice used as a rhythmic device, while Ian Dench throws in some neat, surf-laden guitars that coalesce nicely with Derry Brownson’s synths. With Atkins referencing an endless parade of legendary musicians, the track harnesses the energy of rock’s greatest performers and focuses it like a laser as the track builds and builds towards its climax. The breezy Never Die is an oddity, harking deliberately back to the early nineties and the band’s formation (referenced in both the music and lyrics of the track). Evoking the youthful belief that the party will never end, Never Die may be musically light-hearted, but there’s a slight undercurrent of sadness amidst the defiance, making it simultaneously forward looking and nostalgic. Built around a rock-solid beat, Dr Strangelove has a tough, dance floor vibe shot through with post punk ambience, the echoing samples further adding to the trippy vibe. It contrasts neatly with the poignant Greatest Day, which offers a moment of quiet introspection that carries considerable emotional weight. It paves the way for the album’s vibrant finale and so, ending as it began, Go Go Sapiens nods to Unbelievable with Sparks and Flashes. A Doc Martens-clad anthem that aims straight for the mosh pit, it brings the house down and leaves you wondering where the hell EMF have been this last twenty-odd years.
Go Go Sapiens is a fantastic album. Brilliantly produced, it draws on EMF’s extensive experience to offer a contemporary take on the innovative 90s music scene that spawned them. It could so easily have been different. A less sympathetic production might well have rendered these anthems as throwbacks. Instead, with a brilliantly vibrant mix, and with the band performing with such heart, the results are remarkably timeless. Pump up the volume, close your eyes and you’ll find a band who have somehow captured the defiance, the excitement and even the slight insecurity of youth in eleven diverse tracks. Welcome back EMF, don’t leave it so long next time, yeah? 9/10
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