The Psychedelic Furs - Made Of Rain

Since forming in ‘77, The Psychedelic Furs have released 8 studio albums. The first sincethe early‘90’s,‘Made of Rain’has been long awaited by fans (myself included).It explores new themes for the band, moving away from blatant teenage rebellion and emotion, and into a moodier, middle aged look on lifeand relationships. However, front man Richard Butler’s close to poetic lyrics still hold strong and have lost none of their impactwith the shift in tone.

The album kicks offwith the characteristically rocky ‘The Boy Who Invented Rock and Roll’, a solid tune which interjects the heavy beats with an almost ballad like melody.The combined power of the Butlers’ fantastic lyrics and catchy bass make for an album that is,as always,recognisableas The Furs.The dramatic, moody theme continues, and the rest of the songs on the album follow much the same vibe. ‘Turn Your BackOnMe’ is probably myfavouritetrack on the album,held together with an interesting drum beat throughout and focusing on Butler’sthroaty yet somehow tuneful vocals.

Ihave toadmit, it isn’t quite the album I wanted as their first in 30 years. However, the writing isfantasticandthebandmembers are as talented as they have always been.The two singles they’ve released so far, ‘Don’t Believe’ and ‘You’ll Be Mine’, fit nicely into the band’s existing discography when shuffled into a playlist, bringing moretheatricaland sweet tones respectively.‘Don’t Believe’ is probably the most like their older stuff, relying heavily on the sax and rhythmic, fast paced lyrics.

Despite the fact I don’t think I’ll be putting this on purely to listen to, I can’t wait to hear them bang some of these out on their tourpost lock-in.The Furs shine best when they’re playing live, and the drama of ‘Made of Rain’ lends itself perfectly to this, withthe perfectly judgedhumourand earnestness of their writing really shining outof every song on the album.A job well done, even if not particularly to my taste, and astand outalbum that showcases just how versatile The Psychedelic Furs can be, and how little time has affected their talents.

7/10