Are You Satisfied? // Slaves
Although I often refuse to admit it, and as much as I love it, I do find indie music tedious at times; it often seems to feature the same old chords, riffs and lyrics – but not in this instance. English duo Isaac and Laurie, aka punk band Slaves, have stood out as a pivotal point in the indie-rock world. Are You Satisfied?, the band’s debut album, stands out for me as album of the year. Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize 2015, it’s incredibly versatile and witty punk tracks have injected a new wave of heavy garage riffs with a catchy edge into the mainstream and it’s something which even your mum will enjoy (mine does, at least). Highlights of the album include ‘Do Something’: featuring cleverly constructed lyrics and a chorus no short of head-banging; the immensely catchy yet inexplicably harrowing ‘Wow!!!7am’; the somehow radio-friendly, ferocious ‘Hey’ and album titled ‘Are You Satisfied?’, a refreshing stripped-back track which hopefully rests your voice for a bit but is gorgeous nonetheless with real, real, real straight lyricism and glorious harmonies. I can’t quite comprehend how just two people can make such a powerful and emphatic sound, but with Are You Satisfied? you’ll be left breathless, but gasping for more. These two won’t be forgotten about any time soon. 2015 was just the beginning.
Words by Anna Cowan