Introducing a superb new project of absolute precision and passion united – Fearless Leader injects purpose, provocation and power into the indie scene, with an album of weight and volume and darkness all united for the cause.
Propaganda Holotape makes for a mighty opener, intriguing and increasingly immersive as the composition evolves and its overall grip tightens.
For me, the sheer fullness of the soundscape, the spoken word and the rising energy, offers a cinematic shift that prompts the mind to wander. It’s an atmospheric presence not unlike that of the fast-moving, busy train, with your own music quietly matching the pace; imagination working its magic.
To a degree this can distract from the purpose of the project, but for the most part it works beautifully; the lyrics softly guide your thoughts – you fall in to the moment, connecting to the topic as the artist has, and considering your own role within all of this.
The style of the music varies considerably throughout The Supreme Leader, always we have a topical, conceptual thread, and this fullness, this multi-layered presence and the grit with which the ideas are delivered, but ultimately the playlist is as eclectic as it is intentional.
Running For Dictator veers off into electronic rock and hip hop as the second track to immediately highlight this uninhibited approach. New Mundi does the same again, offering a cascading circus of retro sounds and rhythms, cinematic and unsettling as the energy increases and the voice flickers into view with its joyfulness and concern combined.
Highlights from the twelve-track album include the unexpectedly dreamy Shadow Of My Grave, within which juxtaposition is truly mastered – a slow burner, which in the end begs for you to listen more than once. The melody and style of the opener returns – a clever thread that’s automatically recognisable.
The late-night dance escapism and raw passion of Every Leader We Kill Builds a Bigger Army also makes for a strangely hypnotic, provocative stand-out that again prompts you to tune in more closely, to crank up the volume and centre yourself within the chaos – of the work, and of the scarily relevant concept.
Ultradelicious is another peak, its initial sense of space and the quirky, joyful vocal piercing through the increasing noise of that inescapable groove. And in stark contrast we have the delicacy and melancholy of Lost – shining light on a whole new side to Fearless Union; vulnerable and intimate, revealing and honest.
Not for the faint of heart but also notably for everyone right about now – The Supreme Leader feels like the brain-child of house music, electronic rock, sci-fi and the current independent media. It’s heavy, addictively anthem-like on more than one occasion, laughable and disconcerting all at once.
There are many intricacies to appreciate, so many in fact, that with each revisit some new detail or moment or idea presents itself, and the escapism of the music means something else once again.
Download the album here or via Bandcamp. Check out Fearless Union on Facebook & Instagram or visit their Website.
