Innerpartysystem - 'Innerpartysystem' (Island) Released 29/09/08

The recent incarnations of dance-rock fusion have proven prosperous times with the right imagination. It’s a wide family, with groups like Enter Shikari and Pendulum taking up the two end of the dance and rock spectrum. Now with their self-titled debut album, Innerpartysystem want to join the fun.

Wedging themselves firmly at the dance heavy end of the spectrum, this Pennsylvanian four piece look set turn a few heads. The pulsing, grinding Matrix-y sounds of ‘Die Tonight, Live Forever’ has already turned up as a matter of interest on numerous key music radars. A bold statement of intent, it’s high energy, heavily processed and very consumable.

Though the sheer synth presence and countless drum loops should root this firmly in dance market, there’s something inexplicably rock about this release. There is life and band dynamics that come through on this record that you simply won’t find on dance records. The result is that through both pumping bass lines underpinning and strained vocals, tracks like the infectious ‘Don’t Stop’ could be equally appreciated on a dance floor as in mosh pit.

Yet the ambiguity however between dance and rock does give rise to a few annoyances. There are times during ‘Everyone Is The Same’ where you wish they’d push a little bit harder into a full scale industrial rock meltdown. Equally, ‘This Town Your Grave’ could easily take a leaf from Pendulum’s book and break into a drum and bass chaos to great satisfaction. Instead we’re left with the airy, slightly passionless vocalist, whose voice becomes more than a little annoying across this 50-odd minute release.

By choosing the commercial sound and middle of the road (rather than heading into deeper dance or rock territories) Innerpartysystem have probably prevented themselves making headway into either camp in the UK. With the heavily toured likes of Pendulum and Enter Shikari on the scene, it’s going to be a real mission for Innerpartysystem to get a foothold. And I’m not sure they deserve it yet (though I have a feeling a gig sometime this year is more than advisable). A nice way to break ground, but this is a debut that doesn’t quite go far enough.