When The Areola Treat first appeared on the local music scene back in 2006, they did so brandishing a slogan that simply read: “This is art for art’s sake; noise for noise’s sake.”
It is a statement they’ve embraced to the fullest, even if their earlier material, essentially comprising of three-minute indie rock tunes with a punk aesthetic, did reflect there was more at play than just those two qualities.
Indeed, alongside its artistic inflections, their first EP offered spiky, yet pretty melodic songs, a couple of which even infiltrated mainstream radio. Their debut full-length offering, too, featured a handful of fairly catchy numbers, juxtaposed with a darker element that fuelled the rest of that album.
It is a very temperamental record, with instances that are quite introspective and others that lash out
Although last year’s Radio On EP was intended to be a collection of out-takes, its high-octane catchy title track, amid more sombre and exploratory songs, proved that eight years on the sum of all the band’s parts has always been more than just art and noise.
The two singles released off the band’s imminent sophomore album, namely Blood Red Thing and title track Walk into Nothing, suggest a lateral shift towards less immediate melodies; a deeper immersion perhaps, into those same dark waters they had first dipped their toes in on 2011’s Pleasure Machines.
Beyond these two songs, the new album is clearly a darker beast built around what guitarist Adrian Mizzi describes as a baritone sound. Structurally, as with their previous output, it is an articulate but not overdone three-pronged mesh of jagged guitar riffs, dynamic drumming and punctuating bass lines, on top of which Lisa Micallef Grimaud’s vocals add a new dimension, taking their cue from each song’s individual energy.
The end result is a versatile and powerful collective display which quite simply, and this despite many a musical reference – vocal and otherwise – that comes to mind when listening to this album, remains a sound that The Areola Treat can truly call their own.
The urge to experiment has always been part and parcel of the band’s missive, but its prominence, on this album in particular, has clearly increased. This has, in turn, allowed for more space in the music which the band has reined in, and made full use of.
It is by and large a very temperamental record, with instances that are quite introspective (Saint Foy of the Broken Hearts) and others that lash out (Traction). Sometimes the songs are a combination of both – a balance of contained energy eventually explodes, occasionally maintaining its pace, otherwise dissolving into brooding rhythms of the obscure kind.
For Constance, one of the album’s several standout tracks, is perhaps the best example of this, slipping in with a gentle swaying melody that breaks out into a runaway riff before returning to its original laid-back tempo.
On a totally different note and structure, Game of Drones reveals a new, heavier side to the band that at first may not seem quite in tune with the groove of the record, but somehow it holds its own midway through the album.
Intended to be a concept album of sorts, Walk into Nothing’s strength and appeal probably lies in that the connecting factors aren’t too obvious, yet successfully instil a cohesive feel despite the diversity of each song’s dynamic.
Prior to this album, (with the exception of the extended hidden track on the Radio On EP) the average duration of an Areola Treat song rarely exceeded four minutes. On Walk into Nothing, they’ve gone off at a tangent and included two songs that are quite long by the band’s standards, namely the closing track Collapse, which clocks in at over seven minutes, and A Place That Most Forgot, which is just over eight minutes.
This was bound to happen really, after all they had already revealed an inclination towards longer tracks when playing at St James Cavalier’s Round Theatre last year. But beyond the extraordinary intro and outro deliveries on that memorable night, this was possibly also a result of the band’s predilection to experiment on all levels, as well as the effect of natural progression.
Whatever the case, it is interesting to note that within the different movements incorporated in both songs, one can also identify most of the musical shades that shape and colour the entire album.
Apart from the new album, it’s also worth looking up the six-part documentary which, like the Radio On EP, was produced in association with the Malta Arts Fund. Filmed between November 2012 and November 2013, the six episodes portray the band telling its story, revisiting some interesting events in their adventures abroad, and talking about the making of Walk into Nothing.
There’s even an episode that takes the viewer for a daylight stroll through Paceville, once a major hub for live band events and now, unfortunately, a literal embodiment of the album’s title. The footage, however, only tells a small part of what The Areola Treat are about. It is in their music, both recorded and (especially) in a live setting, that the true essence of the band comes to light, and then some.
The Areola Treat will be launching Walk into Nothing with a live performance at Chateau Buskett on Saturday. Errormantics and The Violent Violets will be playing before the band, with the first band on at 10pm. For more information, look up the event page on Facebook or visit the official site.
www.theareolatreat.com