Feed Me showcases a mastery of form, diversity, and intention on sophomore LP, ‘High Street Creeps’ [Album Review]

After five years since Feed Me‘s groundbreaking debut Calamari Tuesday LP, the time has finally come for Jon Gooch to unveil his second full-length studio album. The 10-track project, High Street Creeps, lands today on mau5trap.

The London-based producer has been releasing some of electronic music’s most lucrative classics under his Spor and Feed Me monikers. On High Street Creeps, Gooch rises in the ranks as one of dance music’s greats for a number of reasons.

First of all, he demonstrates a full mastery of his seductive electro-influenced style, blending it with other forms of house. In so doing, he challenges the big room Dutch version of electro that dominates the globe, taking the subgenre into new directions all his own. Take the album’s last track, “Defiant,” as a case in point. It’s a classic Feed Me number, equipped with steady progressive builds, pulsating electro synths, fractured chords, and drops that take listeners by complete surprise.

 

Second, he displays incredible diversity, venturing into other genres and fusing them with electronic. On “Till The Wheels Come Off,” uplifting chords ride underneath Graham Fink’s indie-rock-driven vocals, driving listeners to fall into Feed Me’s masterful beats. Another indie-rock-influenced tune arrives two tracks later in the Chaney-assisted “Pumpkin Eyes,” in which Feed Me layers acoustic strings over warbling synths and double-time tempos. Taken together, the two tracks venture into a brand new direction for Feed Me—one that seeks to enter new spaces of musical genre and form.

 

Third, he showcases his strength for true originality and artistic intention. He even went as far as to deem his best work to date and now the world can see why. There’s a certain melodic genius threading its way through the entire LP. From the launching point, it can be felt in the album’s opening track, “Perfect Blue,” and in the previously released “Feel Love,” which is an instant Feed Me classic, all the way through the closing track in “Defiant.” The melodies become the album’s storyline, dipping listener’s deep into Feed Me’s tooth-clenching world of electro and back up into uplifting euphoria again.

 

All in all, there’s a certain complexity and attention to detail that consistently sets Feed Me out amongst the pack. It’s a process of letting go, of allowing the music to take hold, and submitting one’s self over to Feed Me’s tight grips. It takes tenacity and true grit to what Feed Me does so effortlessly. High Street Creeps offers further evidence that Gooch has gained a deep footing in the vast world of electronic music and understands all of its tiny interworkings. This is one LP that fans are going to be enjoying for years down the road.

In 2019, Feed Me will be hitting the road live with dates featuring his infamous TEETH production rig. More info in expected at a later date, but fully trust that this is one tour fans will want to say they’ve witnessed up close and in person.

Stream Feed Me’s High Street Creeps below.