Oklahoma-based alternative band focus teo have just dropped their UK edition of psychadelics & diet aid: Baby, You Got a Stew – the band’s first compilation / greatest hits album, which focus teo admits is “insane, because we only have two albums, plus a couple of B-Sides that ended up being more popular than any of our singles.” Subtitled, “The Least Worst of TEO,” this record promises great things, so let’s dive in…
An alien mingling of samples introduces the fifteen-piece prog-pop-punk record, with the sun-soaked album opener, “Days Like This Are Finished” carrying an Owl City aesthetic, but better; from its piano ballad movement to its hyperactive synthwork serving pure video game vibes.
The band weaves pop-punk vocals into “than dreamt of (if we wrote it in 1998 remix)” – a stand-out track with a Blink-182 / Sum 41 feel (a recurring theme) flocked with angsty youth and a few lyrics inspired by Batman (obviously).
Delving further, focus teo resurrects the emo punk sound of the early-mid 2000s to absolute perfection; instinctively wild and infectiously carefree with a sound as tight, solid, and iconic as any Kerrang! magazine frontpager. psychadelics & diet aid is melodic, nostalgic, impulsive and chaotically explosive; a soundtrack to your next house party, no matter what age you may (refuse to) be.
But it’s not all teen mayhem: “end of summer” verges on being a rock ballad, backed by the roars of a live crowd. “rosenstock & the ‘vikings theme song’” animates its frenetic energy with some initial expletives, before “princess” verges on reggae and ska with its bubbly skank rhythms, packing distinct moods and imaginative lyrics to serve every listener.
Track thirteen, the acoustic B-side, “42/428/420” switches the band’s base atmosphere again to a near-dreamy guitar ballad crowned with some hard-hitting lyrics, before “skittles in my lungs (Dueling DJ Mix)” dabbles in the tones of chart-topping pop, severing each budding idea with dramatic switch-ups like a strange, ADHD-inspired club anthem.
focus teo soaks this compilation in pure adrenaline, carved with sonic flashbacks and feverish oddities, from its brief splatterings of choir music to spoken word samples lifted from film & TV. Excitingly uptempo from beginning to end, psychadelics & diet aid keeps you gripping on for dear life, as hit after hit unfolds like a gut-punch to the vapid modern music scene, its lyrics ranging from the relatable to the absurd, with undeniable artistry pinning it all in place.
Our final verdict? Highly recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to focus teo and check out their music on Apple Music, Bandcamp and more. Please support focus teo by visiting their website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.sic!
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