An ominous earworm waits in the course of Russell Fitzgibbon’s debut album as Skeleten. Set to a round beat with all of the snap of basic hip-hop, ‘No Drones within the Afterlife’ pleads with individuals to dwell each day to the fullest slightly than fixate on what may lie past this existence. Alongside the best way, the Sydney producer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist imagines waking up surrounded by police and recognizing one of many titular drones hovering on the horizon.
Impressed partially by the spiritual zeal of sure right-wing Australian politicians, it’s pointed commentary that’s extremely catchy too, because of the indelible mantra “don’t preserve in search of the afterlife, yeah”. It’s additionally the perfect centrepiece for an immaculately layered album that has lots on its thoughts.
Fitzgibbon first unveiled Skeleten in 2020, amidst persistent lockdowns and a robust CV as half of the duo Fishing, whose stuttering digital instrumentals helped convey dance music to native indie rock crowds within the 2010s. He additionally performs bass for alt-country act Babitha, making for an added show of versatility. And doubtless the nicest shock about ‘Underneath Utopia’ is simply how song- and lyric-driven it’s, fleshing out its membership summonses with assured vocals and articulate narratives.
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The truth is, there’s just one instrumental right here: two-minute opener ‘Generator’, which acts as a vibey airlock to the meditative content material and darkly danceable sound to comply with. After that we’re dropped proper into ‘Mirrored’, a mellow minimize that’s immersive with out feeling overworked. Fitzgibbon’s comfortable singing borders on falsetto, and the gentleness of each rhythms and melodies foreshadows the album’s quieter again half. However first comes a run of upbeat tracks that embrace the lithe funk of ‘Strolling on Your Identify’, the pulsing vocal harmonies of ‘Coronary heart Filled with Tenderness’ and the nocturnal New Age sheen and house-style hook of ‘Territory Day’.
The tempo undoubtedly drops after ‘No Drones within the Afterlife’, however that merely makes the lyrical and melodic decisions stand out extra. The title observe is a spacious ballad about appreciating life, and ‘Color Room’ and ‘Proper Right here It’s Solely Love’ preserve their dancefloor dreaminess intimate slightly than hectic. ‘Sharing the Fireplace’ sounds brazenly romantic on the outset, but it surely’s truly concerning the collective advantages of reconnecting with buddies and fellow creators after lockdown.
Even slower and extra intriguing is ‘Every part We Want within the World’. This closing observe pairs Fitzgibbon’s penchant for breakout refrains with a slinky bassline and a dishevelled, reverbed beat that evokes the late ’90s. Because the continuing layers level to the widescreen bliss of early rave music, Fitzgibbon completes his album-long fixation on utopias and dystopias with a spoken-word stock of his numerous needs, from recent air and a brand new telephone to acceptance and peace.
It’s a closing reminder that irrespective of how a lot Skeleten may get us shifting over the course of this document, there’s lots extra happening beneath the floor.
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