Kent is hardly the first place that springs to mind when you think of reggae. However, Ferocious Lopez are trying to put Kent on the reggae map with their new EP, Breed the Sharks. Their tongue-in-cheek approach and funk-rock tendencies give us a neat take on UK reggae, something which has failed to live up to its promise after the genre boomed several decades ago.
From the opener “Redesign”, you’re reminded of the reggae tinged funk rock of the 90s US scene, such as notable one-hit-wonders Sugar Ray and 311’s lighter stuff. Frontman Luke Spain almost raps his way through the lyrics before they break into a ska style chorus, setting the tone for the rest of the tracks. Flamenco guitars sit in the background of title track “Breed the Sharks” as Ferocious Lopez refuse to settle for just being another generic ragga-funk group that tried and failed to break out into the scene, and instead seem intent on trying to reinvigorate the scene in any way possible. The middle track, “Impassive Renegades”, stands as a highlight on the album. Allowing the band to inject a little bit of pace, things take an unexpected turn when they break into an instrumental break mid-way through, giving the musicians a chance to stretch their legs a little bit.
From the opener “Redesign”, you’re reminded of the reggae tinged funk rock of the 90s US scene, such as notable one-hit-wonders Sugar Ray and 311’s lighter stuff. Frontman Luke Spain almost raps his way through the lyrics before they break into a ska style chorus, setting the tone for the rest of the tracks. Flamenco guitars sit in the background of title track “Breed the Sharks” as Ferocious Lopez refuse to settle for just being another generic ragga-funk group that tried and failed to break out into the scene, and instead seem intent on trying to reinvigorate the scene in any way possible. The middle track, “Impassive Renegades”, stands as a highlight on the album. Allowing the band to inject a little bit of pace, things take an unexpected turn when they break into an instrumental break mid-way through, giving the musicians a chance to stretch their legs a little bit.
At about 16 minutes across 5 tracks, the songs themselves aren’t that long. The two opening tracks are both under 3 minutes and feel as though they end before they properly get a chance to hit their stride. While “Impassive Renegades” allows the band to kick into a mid-song jam of saxophones, trumpets and a bass solo, other tracks don’t let the individual instruments have a chance to stand out and instead there are moments when the music backing the song just follows the same basic reggae/ska pattern, choked under the multitude of ideas that Ferocious Lopez want to express, and it means that some tracks, such as “Control the Soul”, just don’t seem to go anywhere apart from containing some questionable lyrics about Caitlyn Jenner, of which the less that’s said the better.
Overall, the lyrics contain some very socially conscious lyrics attacking the government and media, and addressing subjects such as conflict in the Middle East on “Another Day”, so it’s a shame that it had to be marked down by one somewhat transphobic line in “Control the Soul”. They keep the music pretty interesting and fun, though, and it’s an enjoyable enough EP. They’ve done something pretty refreshing for the genre they’re in, and mix a light-hearted approach with some fairly dark subject matters – a difficult feat to achieve. If they can mature their lyrics just a little bit more and expand on their ideas, they could do pretty well for themselves.
You can check out more of Ferocious Lopez, who have just completed a tour in support of the EP, here. Stream Breed the Sharks below.