Bad Rabbits return after half a decade, with a little help from Enter Shikari and Polyphia…
Bad Rabbits aren’t afraid to take up space. Their fifth album, and first full-length release in five years, is just as vast and ever-expanding as its title suggests. Garden Of Eden is an unapologetically full-on offering from the trio, which dips into tastes of the ’80s and ’90s, and even takes in terrifically trashy 2010s electro-pop.
Though their music is only lightly glittered with rock, it somehow fits in nice and snug among their heavier peers. Having Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds feature on the opening a titular track is a testament to that, and he dives straight in with his footprint poetic approach. Fredua Boakye’s vocals are resonant and full, and everything about it feels like rebirth, rejuvenation and resilience.
Elsewhere, the band explore lust, romance, self-acceptance, and growth. Goin Up delivers guitar that side steps between the same cycling chords and offers a mantra for never quitting no matter what – it’s dopamine in the form of a multi-layered pop rock banger. Further on, Freedom treats us to melodic guitar work from Polyphia’s Tim Henson, with shrill tremolo riffing and intricate soloing around a body of simple and spaced out synth.
In Love & Plane Crashes leaves us with a confessional and narrative take about the lessons we learn from our mistakes, and how making progress on our mental health is often slow but worth it. As it leaves, it delivers just what you want, a fiery outro of raucous vocals and heavy drumming and riff work. A real treat, if only for a short burst.
Nothing about Garden Of Eden feels woeful or self-pitying. It’s one giant, rallying cry to get up, dust yourself off and carry on. It calls on the listener to love themselves and love others relentlessly, and lets them know that being a bit messy is okay.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Enter Shikari, Strawberry Girls, The LaFontaines
Garden Of Eden is released on October 20
