ACIDIC’s new album, Chronic Satisfaction, reveals the band’s alternative rock potential yet falls a little short in terms of consistency. It’s a decent album and contains a few really strong songs, but doesn’t escape including a few songs that need much more development.
The LA-based band, made up of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Michael Gossard, bass guitarist and vocalist Ted Dubrawski, drummer and vocalist Matt Whitaker, and guitarist and vocalist Michael Thompson, is known for their high energy live shows and their ability to amp up the crowd and get them involved in the show.
ACIDIC placed first in the 18th annual Billboard Worldwide Song Contest for their song “Strata Red,” and received acknowledgement by Whiskey a Go Go’s LA Weekly “band of the month” for March 2010. The band has garnered a steady following of fans through their live shows and has kept them around because of their powerhouse stage performances and enigmatic frontman Gossard. ACIDIC has had the chance to create music with top of the line producers who have produced tunes for musicians who have become popular acts today.
Chronic Satisfaction’s 9-tracks are safely alternative and are reminiscent of many other popular bands of the genre. With that said, don’t be surprised when a song pops up and it sounds similar to AFI and Blink 182. Not that sounding similar is a bad thing when it comes to those two bands, but in ACIDIC’s case it often overshadows their own sound.
“Uninspired” the first track off the album is a catchy, heavy bass infused track with a good set a vocals that sometimes get washed out by the instruments. The lyrics of the chorus are smooth-flowing and creatively incorporate the title of the song in a way that will have listeners humming the tune later in the day. The track would be exponentially stronger if the vocals were the focus and not lost in all the other parts of the track.
“Break me down,” another song off of the album, sounds like a track that would be featured in a ’90s teen film. The intro of the song sounds a little indie-rock akin to The Kooks, but soon flows into more of a Blink-182 or Good Charlotte sound. Sadly, the song doesn’t inspire anything original because it feels like it’s been heard a million times before. The vocals are also a little lackluster and fall a little flat with the up-tempo beat of the song.
The best song on the album is “Call for More” which is more indie-pop than the other tracks on the album. It’s a faster paced song with the ever present heavy bass beat supporting the track which, paired with the lyrics, makes it an extremely catchy song. The pop sound gives the band the Cobra Starship or Boys Like Girls likability and more of a mainstream alternative sound. Lyrically and instrumentally, “Call for More” is the strongest song on the album because it all comes together fluidly and shows off the band’s skill and potential.
ACIDIC’s 9-track LP is a decent album. It’s nothing extraordinary by any means, but it shows off their budding potential and that, with a little more work, they can fine tune their craft and become a strong alternative rock band like those popular now. They’ve got a knack for catchy lyrics, which make any song exponentially better. ACIDIC is a band to keep an eye on for the future and maybe give a chance and check out a live set. They’re currently on tour and will be stopping back in their hometown of LA on Dec. 12 and will be playing The Roxy in West Hollywood.
