The Orwells emerged in the mid-2000s as an organic garage rock revival band, and since then has impressed fans with their high energy and dynamic live performances.
Yet none of this distinct punk charm is anywhere to be seen in their latest album, Terrible Human Beings; on the contrary, their punk grittiness instead came across as sloppiness.
While past albums, such as Disgraceland, held a distinct allure that set The Orwells apart from other modern punk groups, Terrible Human Beings felt indistinct from other past works and instead felt, arguably, quite boring.
The album begins with song “They Put a Body in the Bayou,” which feels eerily similar to what listeners could find on Disgraceland. While having a consistent sound can be seen as a benefit, The Orwells provided fans no real reason to listen to Terrible Human Beings above past works, because of its lack of experimentation and variation in comparison.
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From a punk band that once represented the grittiness and carefree experimentation seen in the genre, Terrible Human Beings pales in comparison.
The unapologetic, sometimes crude subjects heard on the album, such as drugs, sex, masturbation and political unrest, stayed true to their past themes as well, but somehow seemed less authentic than past works. The commercialized sound of each track made the lyrics feel like an afterthought.
Each song on the 13-track release felt alike, in a way that hindered a quite negative Déjà vu response. It almost felt like listening to the same song on repeat for the duration of the album.
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While certain songs on the album definitely caused some foot tapping and head bobbing, none of them proved to be special enough to warrant another listen of the work as a whole.
None of the tracks were outright bad; they all contained the same style of bellowing vocals and skillful instrumentation that fans have loved in the past. But instead of exploring new avenues, The Orwells stayed too safe and were left with an album that felt flat.
While the members of The Orwells are in no way themselves “Terrible Human Beings,” fans expected more from them.
