Dummy – ‘Free Energy’ album review: waves of sonic bliss

Posted On September 8, 2024September 8, 2024

THE SKINNY: In the world of music, not every album is meant to hit someone over the head with one killer tune after the next. Sometimes, it takes more than a few listens to realise what’s in front of you, and even then, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it good or garbage outside of a hook. While Dummy don’t pitch at the mainstream in the traditional way, Free Energy might be one of the more engaging audio experiences of the year.

Because with one listen-through to this album, it’s hard to differentiate the noisy cuts from the ear candy half the time. While sitting with it for a while, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the brutal emotion on display, as if the band encapsulated raw feelings of nostalgia and heartache between two speakers. Cheery, I know, but that doesn’t mean the record is difficult to sit through.

Despite taking their name from the greatest Portishead album, the My Bloody Valentine vibes across the more engaging cuts like ‘Blue Dada’ feel like a warm blanket to the ears, even if it’s hard to make out everything that’s going on. What happens is a continual battle between construction and melody, the two warring factions providing a welcome challenge for any muso. 

Various ambient noises throughout the record are far more than just a cheeky gimmick. If anything, they give the listener a point of rest in between the aggressive cuts, almost like coming for air before getting hit with another wave of sonic bliss.

But even outside of the chaotic cuts, they also know how to bring it home. Not everything is meant to be sung and that becomes clear on this LP. Across its runtime, the album feels like a musical Swiss army knife, whether that’s drenching everything in echo, getting lulled into a groove, or making something that could compete with the indie rock giants of the world. 

The entire record brings to mind a vast landscape, and even if you’re not the adventurous type, many of these tunes will most likely sway your opinion. Those mildly curious about the psychedelic side of indie music can feel free to dive into this melodic treat of electronic noisy bliss without a care. 

For the fans of: Shoegaze fans refusing to loosen their death grip on their vinyl copies of Loveless.

A concluding comment by Tim’s neighbour: “The album could well be the reason Tim ends up coming through my ceiling – the endless pacing and muttering has worn a hole in the floorboards above.”

Free Energy track by track:

Release date: September 6th | Label: Trouble in Mind

‘Intro-UB’: Even though an intro usually just sets up the album, the stuttering guitars and organ keys are enough to make a decent tune on their own. A decent start-up to the record, but the bright and sunny vibes are just getting started [3.5/5]

‘Soonish’: Riding in on a barrage of noise and giving way to a bouncy-as-hell guitar riff, this is the blend of power-pop, shoegaze, and singer-songwriter that shouldn’t work on paper but is somehow flawless in execution. For anyone My Bloody Valentine fans looking for a faint whiff on that Loveless energy, this will make for a worthy substitute if you’re willing to turn the distortion down just a little bit. [4.5/5]

‘Unshaped Road’: While the album gets off to a cracking start, ‘Unshaped Road’ does suffer for being just a little underdeveloped, especially clocking in at just over two minutes. There are the makings of a good tune in here had there been more time to work on it, but all we get is two or three potentially decent ideas that stand awkwardly next to each other rather than play off each other. Still fair for what it is, but it just ends right before it truly gets off the ground [2.5/5]

‘Opaline Bubbletear’: Usually, instrumental interludes would serve to fill up space in between the action, but from the first hit of the saxophone, ‘Opaline Bubbletear’ forces everyone to pay attention. Despite the saxophone not being the first instrument that comes to mind when thinking of shoegaze, this is one of those emotional solos that captures uncertainty better than any words ever could. [3.5/5]

‘Blue Dada’: The first true epic of the project. While it’s not exactly ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in terms of length or anything, this pop treat conjures up images of going to the one 1980s club that got lost to time and listening to New Order until the sun comes up. Not a bad place to spend an evening, or the rest of one’s life, for that matter. [4.5/5]

‘Nullspace’: After luring everyone in with that slow acoustic guitar, this quickly turns into the kind of bouncy pop tune that Robert Smith would have been proud to have had a co-sign on. From the sounds of it, Dummy are all students of music history, and if The Stone Roses ever stayed the course into the modern age, this would have been what they would have probably sounded like. [4/5]

‘Minus World’: Compared to the rest of the album, this is probably the most by-the-numbers track they have in their arsenal, but it’s saying something when even a “pedestrian” song has a wall of noise that’s an absolute ear massage. And for any rhythm guitarist looking for tips on how to lock into a steady groove, pay attention to how the final minute plays out. [3/5]

‘Dip in the Lake’: A tale of two songs, in essence. While the first half is unfinished business from what ‘Minus World’ was building up to, hearing a hard cut to silence followed by the organ passage is one of the most stark contrasts to come this year. Things started off sounding straight-ahead, but this is when all the gimmicks are stripped away, and you’re just left with raw feelings and a keyboard to keep you warm. [3.5/5]

‘Sudden Flutes’: While far from being a guitar hero record, hearing guitar stabs playing throughout both sides of the stereo image is a fantastic palette cleanser after ages of piano. When the aforementioned flutes do come in, though, it does take away a little bit of that momentum. A very apt title, I guess, but I can’t help but feel that they unintentionally kneecapped what could have been one of their better tunes. [3/5]

‘Psychic Battery’: From the kaleidoscope version of a flute recital, we get one of the most psychedelic cuts in the entire project. Even with the organic drums in the background, this song feels like it’s floating in the air once that echo comes in. Whereas other tunes are easy to get lost in, this sounds like waking up from a dream state and not knowing whether you’re fully awake or not. Nowhere near the heights we’ve seen, but a fantastic piece of sound design. [4/5]

‘Nine Clean Nails’: The idea of being ditched on a Saturday night has never sounded so snotty. Despite the song staying static all the way through, the vocals are practically punk in their delivery. For all of the pleasant sides of this record, this is the closest thing to a jaded tune to be found on such a dreamy record. [3/5]

‘Godspin’: As we wind things down, ‘Godspin’ performs the musical equivalent of lulling the listener down to rest before bringing back guitars and the sounds of lapping waves to send us on our way. It hasn’t been the most thrilling journey of my life, but we’re left with the feeling of coming out of a dream and desperately wanting to take the wild ride all over again. [4/5]