This review was originally posted on Discovered Magazine in October 2018.
Crafting their sound within London’s underground indie circuit, Free Money’s self-titled EP infuses a variety of genre influences and elements, offering a breath of fresh air within the oversaturated indie music scene.
Subverting the lust for materialism, Free Money have adapted alter-egos for this release, using banker personas to give them the freedom to play around with the ideas of modernity and power. With potential for mainstream success, Free Money proved in just five songs why they are becoming one of the most buzzed about acts in the genre right now, with ‘Free Money EP’ offering far more than just generic lyrics and mid-tempo beats.
‘U Got Me,’ the EP’s opening track, blends together both 80s pop and classic rock elements, creating a hook and tempo that you can’t help but nod your head along with. This song, as well as all of the others on the EP, showcases the strong lyrical abilities of the band, something that greatly helps to separate them from other acts in the genre that have that catchy music hook, but haven’t necessarily full grasped the skill of writing both relatable and infectious lyrics.
“A BREATH OF FRESH AIR WITHIN THE OVERSATURATED INDIE MUSIC SCENE..”
‘Up In The Sky’ is notably the biggest stand out tune on the EP and captivates Free Money’s true sound the best. With a contagious pre-chorus of both tongue-twisting lyrics and powerful vocals reminiscent of The Darkness, the medley of distinct percussion and dreamy guitar riffs elevates ‘Up In The Sky’ to a whole new level over the other EP tracks. Packing just enough punch to grab a listener’s attention, this is the track on ‘Free Money’ people will be playing over and over again.
The most recent single to come from Free Money, ‘I Got U,’ is the radio worthy track this EP needed. With a nostalgic guitar sound weaved throughout the song and lyrics that cause us to reminisce about the feeling of first falling in love, it is the bridge’s saxophone solo and the catchy, carefree chorus that keeps this song from being just another pop tune. Incorporating a number of different influences into it, ‘I Got U’ is fun, unique and offers something different to pop radio.
“FOR THOSE OF YOU OUT THERE THAT ARE TIRED OF MISSING ALL OF THE UP-AND-COMING ACTS BEFORE THEY MAKE IT BIG, CONSIDER THIS A WARNING TO GET ON THE FREE MONEY TRAIN NOW”
With four very in your face, upbeat pop tracks, Free Money, surprisingly, close out the ‘Free Money EP’ on a completely different note. ‘Everything’s Fine’ is a ballad that shows the band’s versatility and ability to be stripped down and still get their sound and style across to all who listen. With the strongest vocals on the whole EP, ‘Everything’s Fine’ showcases Free Money’s writing ability, the echoing of the lyrics ‘yeah you are enough / everything’s fine’ sending a powerful and relatable message to their listeners. Incorporating soft percussions and the ringing of piano keys, ‘Everything’s Fine’ is such a different change of pace to the other songs on the EP that you can’t help but ache to hear more as it all comes to a close, wondering if there are more stripped down ballads in Free Money’s repertoire for us to hear in the future.
For those of you out there that are tired of missing all of the up-and-coming acts before they make it big, consider this a warning to get on the Free Money train now. As one of the latest acts to come from London’s underground indie circuit, if the Free Money EP is what they are able to bring to the table so early in the game, the mainstream world is a lot closer than we think.