2007, Deaf, Dumb & Blind Recordings
Foreign Islands opens Restart Now!, their first full length release, with thick synths and clammering guitars that collide to create a solid, unwavering musical boundary reminiscent of post-punk and new wave styles pumped through a 21st century filter. The resulting musical conglomerate is a full-bodied dance-punk style that, while not entirely new or completely unique, flaunts conventionality in favor of attacks of unrestrained sonic attitude.
"No Holiday" combines Foreign Islands' dance-punk leanings with a break from the album thus far in the form of a harmonious chorus. Restart Now! is an album that is perfect for dance parties but not similarly perfect for a relaxing jaunt. But a relaxing jaunt seems exactly what Foreign Islands is looking to avoid; instead, they aim for an unrelenting aural attack replete with electronic beats, growling synths, and those familiar sharp guitars that differentiated post-punk from other musical styles of the time.
If Restart Now! wasn't already eclectic enough, Foreign Islands have included two head-turning remixes ("We Know You Want It," remixed by Filthy Dukes, and "Fine Dining With the Future," by Boys Noize) that occupy the more dance-oriented spectrum of their music, as remixes often do.
Foreign Islands have easily proven themselves a capable ensemble with Restart Now!; the band's attitude propels the beat forward at a furious pace, stopping for nothing. The album's massive rhythmic quality would fit in perfectly at a dance party or discotheque; the band makes no assumptions otherwise.