Chronic Future infuse positivity into their upbeat brand of rapcore which jumps out of the speakers with a combination of funk, mild hearted hip hop and summertime grooves. Funk inspired basslines spring forth while light hearted lyrics are juggled over guitars filled with dashing riffs and tripped out effects. The band can sound a bit similar to acts such as 311, 2 Skinnee J's and older Sugar Ray, with their poppy brand of edgy guitars and digestible song structures, but they do possess enough style of their own to separates them from any copycat comparisons. Vocally the album is littered with punchy raps that take shape either by being yelled out with a restrained anger or bubbling over the choruses with melody and hooky flows. A few grating screamed out words are tossed in to contrast the sleek harmonies and overall the lyrics included are witty and well placed. Guitars are distorted, but by no means overtly heavy, instead they feature a somewhat buzzing aesthetic that shades the songs with an easygoing vibrancy. Gritty riffs very akin to 311 provide the bulk of the highend's attack plan, while a few clean toned plucks speckle the mixture with entrancing repetition and compelling ideas that are cloaked in spacey effects. Bass fills out the foundation of the music, like a thick foam inside of a cushion. Slightly downtuned, it bounces along in the background with funk ideals and an aggressive desire which rings out through the percussive nature in which the notes are hit. Drums crash out the backbone of the songs with muted snare hits and keenly integrated highhat work. There's some intricate tom rolls in place here and there, but for the most part the beats are heavily reliant on snare variation and pummeling kick drums, which shove the songs forward with piston like precision. Turntables round out the mix, cutting in with hip hop styled scratches that are skilled and placed sparsely enough to make each time they emerge feel refreshing. It's quite impressive to see a band this young, create an album this solid, from the fast paced songs to the head bobbing beats and everything in between, there's a lot included for the listener to feast on. Tracks like "Run For Shelter" showcase lock tight raps and perhaps one of the catchiest bass and guitar grooves to be captured in recent memory, while songs like "Impossible To Win" indulge in effect doused vocals and spiraling melody and if that wasn't enough, to top it off there's even the track "Ways To Sell You Out" which brings to mind 70's styled funk and soul with a modern edge. Material like this is impressive and easily aligns itself as the highlights of this release, unfortunately though, the bulk of the CD can sound a bit derivative and feel as it were written more for its catchy characteristics, rather than being an honest musical creation. As a whole, the tracks present here are quite enjoyable, although they would be ten times more than what they already are, had the band pushed itself more into foreign territory like they do on the tracks previously mentioned. Chronic Future's future looks bright, with a radio climate friendly to rap-rock bands and an absence of feel good lyrics in the music dominating the airwaves, it seems this group could have what it takes to slide right in.
(3.5 / 5)