Skeleteen - No Fun Intended [Album]

Future Static

Having re-released their debut EP Bury the Seasons just this week, it’s perhaps a little odd to be reviewing the follow up mini album No Fun Intended effectively three months late but that’s where we are, and sadly this band have gone unnoticed for too long so better late than never.

Opener “Bet on Me” sees the band moving towards metal territory, whilst retaining their love for scuzzy distortion and feedback; it’s an electrifying start that demonstrates Skeleteen’s evolution is perhaps in progress. “Gone” however harps back to Bury the Seasons, existing in a slightly more druggy state, but still with bursts of life. “Not this time” is the track whose potential is never fully realised, stopping and starting too often to ever build on its promise. “Little Glimpse” is equally frustrating, but in this case because the best thing they have produced is just too damn short. At 1 minute 40 it’s like a sound bite from Loveless, even more Bloody Valentine than My Bloody Valentine themselves. If there’s an influence that Skeleteen need to allow to seep into their music more often then it’s clearly MBV.

The title track perhaps best sums up where this band were musically at the time of writing it, generally drifting along in an intoxicated haze but occasionally exploding into visceral rage. Final track “Overcome” contains Skeleteen’s strongest melody to date, but rather eerily sounds like it comes from a child locked in a dungeon somewhere. This band certainly know how to create atmosphere, it’s just not always entirely pleasant - but hey who the hell wants to listen to Los Campesinos anyway!?

Track List:
1 Bet on Me
2 Gone
3 Not This Time
4 Little Glimpse
5 No Fun Intended
6 Overcome