Album Review: Funeral Party - The Golden Age of Knowhere

After setting the blogosphere alight last summer with the frenetic, punchy and raucous single ‘New York City Moves to the Sound of L.A.’, Funeral Party have returned with an undeniably fun debut album packed with catchy, funky guitar-pop. That track opens the album, and is without a doubt the cream of Funeral Party’s crop, sounding like a drunken punch-up between We Are Scientists and The Hives, with James Murphy egging them on from the sidelines with his cowbell.

Throughout the album’s eleven tracks, the pace rarely lets up – from ‘Car Wars’ slick, funky bassline to the pounding drums of recent single ‘Finale’. The guitars remain choppy, the vocals constantly at a strained yell, and if anything this proves to be the album’s main weakness. There are bags of energy within the forty minutes, but it’s sometimes repetitive and one-note. ‘Relics to Ruin’ refreshingly changes things up, becoming another high point.

That said, it’s obvious that Funeral Party won’t change the world, but they clearly never aimed to. It’s hard to fault …Knconstantly at a strained yell, and if anything this proves to be the album’s main weakness. There are bags of energy within the forty minutes, but owhere’s sense of fun, and there are enough great tracks here to warrant a few listens.





The Golden Age of Knowhere is out now, and available to listen to on Spotify



Originally published in The Courier