Metal Detector by FLORIDA is a bold rock project with clear seventies and eighties influences exploring the swings and roundabouts of growing up in Florida.
That loud, bright, sunbleached confidence feels part of every track. You can almost sense the sun beating down on you in a couple of these songs, a break from our grey British Summer Time.
The album opens with a bang, introducing you to its unique style with tracks like Lens Makes Ruin and Decap. They are energetic but also feel soulful and subtly melancholy in sections. It feels like the hiss of the drums and the crisp guitar are at odds with subdued vocal performance. This juxtaposition isn’t jarring. It is more like a purposeful contrast. If separated, the vocals would have felt morose and the instrumental would be overly energetic. The vocals and instrumental balance each other out, drawing attention to each other’s strong points through that juxtaposition.
Drifted pushes the track in a more eighties-rooted, slightly psychedelic direction with this sonic kaleidoscope of sound, especially in the intro and guitar break. Excellent harmonies elevate the vocals. Lines like ”Just tell me now, did you mean it from the start’ still hit emotionally because the vocalist holds onto that vulnerability while building up the confidence. This track reminded me a little of TV On The Radio, especially tracks like Winter, with the timbre of the guitar and bold, confident energy.
‘Sure Enough’ and ‘Looking To Find’ keep the energy high. Sure Enough, in particular, stood out to me because it is a beautiful, industrial crunchy guitar fuzz that feels rooted in its seventies and eighties inspiration but also very unique, current, and well-executed at the same time. They are spaced out and heartfelt while conveying that intensity. This sound is making a comeback into the zeitgeist with well-received recent bangers like Lithonia by Childish Gambino building up these walls of distorted guitar greatness in a way that does not necessarily fit into any specific genre but elevates the energy and narrative of the track.
As the album closes, ‘Away From The City’ and ‘Heavy Heart’ explore the dividing tones throughout the project. ‘Away From The City’ feels energised with the fantasy of escape, whereas ‘Heavy Heart’ is this retrospective reflection of the album’s ups and downs, and childhood more broadly. “Nothing there and nobody cares” feels like the familiar crushing responsibility of adulthood setting in.
Metal Detector gives the audience an honest, candid look at growing up in Florida. Its mix of bold confidence and introspection is challenging to balance however, they nail it perfectly with a project that feels genuine to themselves from beginning to end.
Leave a Reply