Slow Focus
The British duo F\*\*\* Buttons are probably suffering—to some degree—from the downside to having a name that requires asterisks for certain media outlets. *Slow Focus*, the duo’s third full-length release, shows again that the Buttons—what with all the permutations the name is subjected to—are incredibly good at what they do. Rhythmic machinations push and pull squealing, pinging, whooshing, humming synths and brittle, staccato percussion into a myriad of shapes and forms, and their instrumental prowess shows a keen awareness of how critical it is to put something fresh into each track. Two guys (Andrew Hung and Benjamin Power, who met in art school in England) use a bunch of electronic gear—and other odds and ends—to make some utterly entrancing music, all without lyrics or anything like a “hook.” You can headbang to “Brainfreeze,” zone to “Stalker,” and get robot funky on “Sentients.” You won’t sing along or hum a melody in the shower, but the Buttons have made sure you\'ll remember.
On Slow Focus, Fuck Buttons' first album in four years, Ben Power and Andy Hung remain devoted to forbidding, elemental sensations. Their slow-moving pieces inspire the kinds of big feelings that double as reminders of our smallness, and they've never sounded this massive before.
On their third album, Fuck Buttons' penchant for elongation dilutes what would otherwise be a formidable sensory overload.
Slow Focus has all the rousing fanfare, build-and-release, PLUR values of standard raves, except the tracks are five minutes longer and the amount of human touch is in question.
After the giant leap in ambition, scope and production that was 2009’s Tarot Sport, it’s entirely judicious of Fuck Buttons to make follow-up Slow Focus a more confident and measured next step. Though it’s cut from a similar cloth to its predecessor, the electro-noise duo’s third album is somewhat rougher in texture and darker in tone.
They may not have medalled, but for Fuck Buttons, the 2012 Olympic Games in London were a career high.
Fuck Buttons "Slow Focus" reviewed by Northern Transmissions. Slow Focus from Fuck Buttons is out 7/23 on ATP Recordings. The Red Wing is the 1st single
The Bristol duo's third album repeats their impressive trick of making music that's both euphoric and apocalyptic, writes <strong>Alexis Petridis</strong>