Alpha Male Tea Party certainly don’t sound like a band from Liverpool. Their growing reputation for punk-inflected off-beat riffs and wickedly humorous/weird song titles (“Depressingly Shit Lunchtime Sandwich,” “Jason Fucked the Argonauts,” both from 2012’s debut AMTP) aren’t the sort of attributes one would necessarily associate with the home of the Liver Birds and four scruffy mop-tops. Thankfully, the band decided to go such a route and, with a brilliant debut record and EP already in the pocket, Alpha Male Tea Party’s latest release Droids introduces us with the most clarity to the eccentric, joyous, and crushing world of one of Merseyside’s greatest current exports.
Calling in help on the production of Droids from bands such as fellow lovers of the off-kilter tunes Cleft, the polished, bright tone of the album throughout is something which strikes early and adds to the level of fun the band ultimately thrive off of. Alpha Male Tea Party, which judging by the track names, band name, and a confessional on their own webpage, don’t take themselves too seriously, the buzzing sense of excitement and almost child-like pleasure is, and has been thus far, integral to the band’s compositions. A highlight from Droids, “Athlete’s Face,” throbs and pulses with the uncoordinated joy a young child indulges in. Of course, the track is anything, but uncoordinated and it expresses a sense of freedom in its trajectory that adds to its energetic impact beautifully. The following track, “You Are My The Rock,” similarly exhibits the creative, winding compositional skills the Alpha Male Tea Party forge so successfully. The accessibility of the songs, masterfully administered via the perfect balance between the low end of the bass and the fluctuating tones of the guitar, build further onto the band’s teleological path towards having a fucking good time. Its sonic hedonism is crafted lovingly and with the utmost precision, and exhibits the growth Alpha Male Tea Party have undergone over the past two years or so.
The Liverpudlian triad however never cross the line, which would result in their tracks losing any of the crunch that add the bite to their music. Previously released and impeccably titled “You Eat Houmous, Of Course You Listen To Genesis” hops from one riff to the next with a level of intensity in tow, which nods in particular to the aesthetics found on a You Slut! track. Upheld by a commanding bass section, the song continues to rise above and then nosedive into a series of dirty, gritty riffs abound with character and drive. “Reach For The Stars Kids But Don’t Blame Me If It Makes You Miserable” opens with a riff somewhat resonant of a pop-punk track, before evolving into a typically divergent Alpha Male Tea Party song. Again, it is the bass which gives the track its darker aesthetic, holding onto its lower sensibilities and adding them ingeniously to the more feral guitar sections. It is similarly on most of these tracks where the heavier section is to which they return, acting, for a band with very few vocals, as the catalyst to their stream of ideas. It is careful to never undermine the more accessible notions of the record, but is just as crucial to its success and is composed perfectly to engage with the sense of fun the Droids espouses.
One of the problems bands in the same musical vein as Alpha Male Tea Party encounter is the ability to maintain a strong sense of engagement with their audience over the course of an entire record. Lack of lyrics and riffs, which are often hard to judge don’t always make for the easiest of listening experiences. This band however are largely successful in accomplishing this aim, with the tracks careful not to divulge into a state of total liberalism. The only moment where Droids feels a bit thin in terms of impact is on “Judas The Tenderiser,” a track which lacks the quality hinge which the rest of the tracks are able to play out from. The guitar section feels more programmed and less loving than it does elsewhere, resulting unfortunately in a notion void of some of the heart Droids exhibits for the most part. The drumming however remains a stable centrepiece of the band’s gorgeous eccentricity, holding the instrumentation together when required, at others flailing all over the place. The inability to not listen to Droids repeatedly from start to finish is testament to Alpha Male Tea Party’s expansive and thoroughly enticing compositions, and marks them as a special and important band in the contemporary math-rock scene.
For all of the above, however, what makes, for me, Droids such a wonderful record is its willingness and desire to add whatever it can to its solutions in order to make them as rounded and enjoyable as possible. There are riffs, breakdowns and octaves a plenty, but to call Alpha Male Tea Party simply a band who trail the route of gritty math-rock is an injustice. Opener “Happy As Larry, Larry Is Dead” features the only vocals on the record, and professes the bands ability to write tracks which feel safe to indulge in a more anthemic aesthetic. Found more on previous releases, it still represents the wonderful understanding the band have in terms of how they can construct and compose their music to appease a variety of senses. “Your Happiness Was Stored On A Hard Drive And Is Now Corrupt” dips its toes in a musical direction which is almost angelic in its graceful and tranquil delivery. Awash with shimmering instrumentation and bedded on a refrain that is as both inoffensive and charming, it represents a highpoint on the record in terms of representing the vast music talents of this unique and expressive band.
Admittedly, Droids doesn’t offer anything a whole lot different to what Alpha Male Tea Party have conjured in the past. However, what it does do is exhibit the growth and maturity the band are undergoing in terms of writing tracks that are both thrilling in their trajectory yet accessible throughout. Packed with riffs, hooks and a degree of fun which is rarely expressed so sincerely, Droids hits hard and leaves a smile on your face. For a band who grew up in an area where such a style of math-rock isn’t necessarily the common tongue, Alpha Male Tea Party have managed to refine, expand, and refresh their own brand of music and firmly embed themselves as a band unique in their wit and creativity.
Rating: 4/5