ALBUM REVIEW: Absolute Disaster

Captain Frederickson is a DIY/indie band initially formed in 2015 Buffalo, NY. However, half of the band is currently in Reading, England. They put out their first single on May 2, 2018, titled ‘Toast Tuesday.’ With four other singles and an album available on Spotify, they plan to publish ‘Absolute Disaster’ on February 12.  

‘Absolute Disaster’ features 12 songs in 28 minutes. With an average playing time of two minutes, each piece tells a story. The overall album has masses of raw energy and a constant uniqueness. They aim for metallic and innovative sounds. “The DBA Robot is all over this record. We try and combo pedals until the signal is so drawn down you can’t really tell it’s a guitar,” replied vocalist and guitarist Drew. 

The band shares a significant amount of similarities to ‘Future to the Left,’ a band from which they find inspiration. On the other hand, some of the slower-paced songs remind me of Blur; I get that feel from the track’s musical aspect. The song ‘I Use To Be Over’ gives off the most significant Blur feel. However, Captain Frederickson has more of a heavy punk touch. I can also draw relations to Death From Above 1979. Both DFA 1979 and Captain Frederickson have a sort of dance-punk or sound punk tenderness. 

The album opens with a robust alternative piece, ‘Is Pepsi OK?‘. However, the vocals seem to fight over the music quite a bit, which only ever reoccurs a few times. The song is stuffed with energy as it sets the tone and becomes a gleaming welcoming to the album. 

I immensely enjoyed ‘Ant & Dec Break America‘ due to the strength regarding the music. However, I’d like to hear more of Ashley, who severed throughout the track as backing vocals. I believe she would give perhaps a different feel to future tracks.  

Crash (other known as Allan) provides a bloody amazing backbeat throughout the track. He’s on point and stunning, perhaps my favorite part of the band.

‘I’m So Fucking Sweet’ is likely the strongest lyrically of the track. It’s thrilling, from the catching lyrics to the flawlessly freakish music. The song touches on the toxicity and ‘silliness’ of social media. “No, I didn’t actually see the tv show your referencing/ I don’t actually own a tv.” The lyrics go on, stating, “But it’s just a waste of time because I have so many things going on that I don’t have time to waste it on watching tv/ because I’m so fucking sweet.” I found myself gravitating to the song. The lyrics filled my mouth throughout the day – usually something I hate – but I didn’t mind it this time.  

You can pre-order Absolute Disaster here. You get 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC, and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.