With his 2003 debut, Now and Them, Adam Freeland broke through to a more mainstream crowd than his original nu-school breaks audience with a grimy sound and brash lyrics. It took six years for the follow-up to be released and while little has changed, Freeland has worked to recalibrate his music to better embody that of the live band he’s been performing with. The result is a much more stable sound’if such a word could possibly be used to describe Freeland’s always marauding style.
Where Freeland was once open to dabble in a bit of everything from techno to hip-hop and dub, he seems to have now settled comfortably into an electro-rock niche once carved out by The Prodigy. All of the angry socio-political commentary is still present. Even the club-friendly lead-off single “Under Control,” carries the same anti-establishment undertone reminiscent of of Bush-era hit “We Want Your Soul” (which Freeland often performed in a W mask). Hard-hitting industrial beats become laced with grungy guitars and grainy vintage synths, all while maintaining enough bounce to still be suitable for the club crowd. That sweet spot between the dancefloor and the moshpit is something that more and more electronic acts seem to be pursuing these days. Freeland shows he’s still a vet of that particular tightrope.

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