Retro-Mania
Seattle based The Intelligence has been steadily releasing lo-fi garage and surf-pop-reminiscent punk since the turn of the millennium. Their newest record, Vintage Future, seems like they’re trying to sum up the evolution of the post-punk genre as its been revived and revamped over the past fifteen years. The idea behind Vintage Future is clear. From a seemingly endless stream of Buzzfeed articles about some ’90’s movie we’d all (often rightfully so) forgotten about to the rise of vinyl sales over CDs and even paid internet downloads in the past few years, it’s apparent that consumer culture is focused on reviving the past. A stack of 45s and some outdated electronics depicted on its cover, Vintage Future wants to make a point about the retro look of today – not quite the silver pleather and clear plastic vibe we were expecting at the start of the millennium. While on the surface one might assume that this album would likely be some sort of indictment of this obsession with the past, post-punk is one of the most naturally retro genres there is, and this album is a pretty clear homage to The Intelligence’s “vintage” roots.
The Intelligence, like the name might suggest, is a little too aware of how hip they are. While their hazy, 80’s influenced garage rock sound definitely was that hip in 1999, there have been so many bands doing versions of it just in the past six months alone that they may fade into the background. What does save them is the almost sleazy edge that this record has, with song titles like “Whip My Valet” and “Nocturnal Admissions,” Vintage Future does sound a bit like something you’d hear playing over the speakers at a dimly lit lounge in some surrealist utopian future, one that had actually turned out the way we predicted in sci-fi novels in the ’80’s.
It’s actually this ’80’s influence that helps The Intelligence exist separately, if only barely, from the barrage of bands releasing so many similar albums. Having been a band since the start of the post-punk revival, they remember where their sound came from and you can hear that come through on songs like “Tourists” and of course the very on-the-nose title track, “Vintage Future.” While many other bands have focused on the punk side of things, seeing a band stick to a new-wave style is refreshing and may help them stay relevant and interesting in a busy and frequently changing genre. Vintage Future is not the best post-punk release we’ll see all year, but it is one that will keep The Intelligence in listeners’ minds until their next record.
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