Ben Massey | 24/08/2023
I wouldn’t say my music taste has changed that much over the last few years. But I know I’ve started listening to some bands more, and some bands less. And some entirely new ones.
In this trend, Movements have always been in the ‘some bands more’ category. As I develop my music taste to match where I am in life, it seems that they make the music to soundtrack that. I was always aware of Movements in the scene, even seeing them supporting Boston Manor on a UK tour a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t until I heard this new direction they’re going in that I gave them a real chance. I think this all started with their singles Barbed Wire Body and Cherry Thrill.
RUCKUS! continues the groove and retro feel of these songs but compiles a new set of songs into a smooth collection. As a body of work, RUCKUS! is the epitome of what I would call indie-hardcore. Now let me explain what I mean by that because we’ve all heard somebody describe music as “genre-bending” or making up an entirely new genre how and when they please. Indie as in catchy and danceable, but hardcore as in angry and melancholic. Let’s be real (don’t worry, it's not that time of day yet!), you can’t really have an indie song called I Hope You Choke.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty, I just need to mention A.M.P.. What I would call from my own personal opinion, the perfect song. This song is written from a completely fictional perspective, but it feels so real when lead singer Patrick Miranda layers his vocal performance over the track. A.M.P. seamlessly paints the picture of a mysterious and seductive woman who feeds her addiction to get high in any way possible. A.M.P. highlights to me the biggest switch up in Movements’ musical style, going from writing primarily about personal experience to something more artistic and conceptual.
Having said that, Lead Pipe, being one of the lead singles of RUCKUS!, is exactly what we know Movements so well for. A song about depression and more importantly smashing depression. This is one of those songs that speaks to me like no other. It’s that song that will pick you up from the deepest and darkest points of your life and help you get out of them.
These two songs are both fast-paced but Movements show their musical diversity with other tracks Heaven Sent and Tightrope, both of which are carefully crafted love songs. They follow one after another giving a much-needed break in the album. Heaven Sent was the song that surprised me the most on RUCKUS!. It almost sounds like a bedroom-pop song, something completely new for Movements. Plus, the lyrics are particularly horny -- well tastefully horny – another thing I had never expected from Movements.
RUCKUS! is the album of the year so far for me. It hits so many highs, so many lows, and leaves me in my feels every time I listen. You can check it out on Spotify here, I think there’s something for everybody on this record.
Edited by: Roxann Yus
Cover image courtesy of: Roxann Yus & Ben Massey