ALBUM REVIEW: Incubus - Trust Fall (Side A)

2015 has, by and large, been a bad year for big name bands and, sadly, Incubus not only characterize this on their new EP; they epitomize it. There have been some mediocre efforts this year by alt rock all stars, like Modest Mouse, Muse, Blur, Imagine Dragons, and Death Cab for Cutie, but none of them quite reach the level of atomic failure like Trust Fall (Side A).

These other bands are, at best, maturing into a more subdued, comfortable sound than their genre pioneering days, and four years ago, with Incubus' release of If Not Now, When?, I would've argued the same thing about Incubus. Sure, they were mellowing out like a pack of old dogs, but in trading their signature, earworm one-two punch riffs with earworm adult contemporary grooves, they were crafting their own, new sound that I was willing to follow.

Now, however, Incubus have apparently abandoned both sounds, both promising career paths, and both camps of fans, and have made Trust Fall (Side A), four of some of the worst songs they've ever written. Abandoning all of the groove, maturity, and musicality they forged in their adult contemporary foray, but retaining all of the lameness, these songs are too weak and lifeless and sometimes downright awkward to be enjoyable as the alt rock tunes they're trying to be.

Let's take a look at them one by one:

"Trust Fall" 
This opening, title track begins promising enough. Guitarist Mike Einziger opens the song with colorful, atmospheric sounds, previewing the fact that his instrumentation is one of the best elements of this EP. But... then the actual riff kicks in like an ostrich tripping over itself, and Brandon Boyd opens his mouth and we're exposed to this once powerful and thoughtful singer/lyricist's now pedestrian whine. If you're thinking it's just this one song, or just this one verse, that is awkward and hard to rock to, you will be disappointed. Especially on track 2...

"Make Out Party" 
Yes, it's safe to assume from the title: this song is objectively THE worst Incubus song ever written. Imagine being invited over to a party by that weirdo girl/neckbeard guy who is obsessed with you to find it's just the two of you and, while lumbering, boring music plays, he/she starts singing to you, 
"Girl I wanna kiss you/ But not just on your lips, no/ Tips of your fingers and every intersection/ Start again, then at your pinky toe." 
Nope.

"Absolution Calling" 
In my opinion the best track on this album, but even then it only lives up to some of the most mediocre tracks on Light Grenades, the "Melodies" side of Monuments & Melodies, or even the soundtrack they did for the movie Stealth. Eniziger's riffs, Jose Pasillas' asymetrical beats, and the synth textures added, I assume, by Chris Kilmore, are blend together nicely into a rock song that is more for listening to and thinking about on headphones than bouncing and screaming along to in crowds. Now, finally, the most intriguing song on the album,

"Dance Like You're Dumb" 
If any of these songs could make a case for being a new, viable sound for Incubus, it's this one. It's energetic and fun, more than any of the prior three, but... energetic and fun in the way that Meghan Trainor or Katy Perry is. Maybe a more flattering and more accurate comparison would be the fuzzy, catchy, virile dance-punk of Death From Above 1979, but a lot poppier. Although not as immediately enjoyable as "Absolution Calling," this song probably gives me the most hope for this new trajectory of Incubus' career. Even if it's poppier and more simple than I know they can do, if they mine this dance-punk vein more and develop this catchy, high energy sound, I can see myself getting behind it. And by the way, that line: "Like a pink Boba Fett, she calls you on your bet"? Awesome. That's the Brandon Boyd I know.

Overall, to be simple, this EP was a huge disappointment for me. If I've sounded critical or even harsh, it's because I know these guys can do better. So much better.