Enter Shikari’s sound has changed a lot since the release of their first album ‘Take to the Skies’ in 2007. ‘The Spark’, their fifth studio album is out now and features the singles ‘Live Outside’ and ‘Rabble Rouser’.
Enter Shikari’s sound has changed a lot since the release of their first album ‘Take to the Skies’ in 2007. ‘The Spark’, their fifth studio album is out now and features the singles ‘Live Outside’ and ‘Rabble Rouser’.
Like many of their past albums ‘The Spark’ is very politically charged, especially focusing on Brexit (‘Take My Country Back’). The political charge, discussion of mental illness and attack on pop culture stand out against current artists. ‘Live Outside’, the lead single is about living with mental illness as is ‘An Ode to Lost Jigsaw Pieces’, which seems to focus on panic attacks.
Although the themes remain largely the same their sound has evolved greatly. Each Shikari album is different to the next, their style changes yet is somehow familiar with fans. It is this that makes it impossible to place them under a specific genre. The change in musical style from their last album ‘The Mindsweep’ is significant but it is still distinguishable as Enter Shikari. As with all their albums it is a mix of strong instrumentals, techno, rap and screamo; a combination that many people could not work but somehow they do time and time again.
Enter Shikari are not afraid to write about controversy, in a world of disarray and confusing politics it is refreshing to hear that like many of us they are angry and fighting back. This album is a fantastic example of this. By using his own personal anguish in the album frontman Rou Reynolds makes it accessible to many people with the same opinion or facing similar problems to him.
‘The Spark’ is available now from all major outlets. Enter Shikari are touring the UK in November.