I preface this entire review by saying Confidence Man are a live band; they’re not a physical release band. There are plenty of acts that fail to live up to the hype when it comes to a live set. Then there are bands that absolutely crush the live performance. And that is exactly what Confidence Man provide on stage: a performance and spectacle. With all this in mind, the debut album from the band, Confident Music For Confident People, doesn’t really live up to the high standards the band have set since they started lighting up stages in 2016.
Confidence Man are a fun band. A supergroup of sorts, the Brisbane act is fronted by Janet Planet and Sugar Bones; a one-two act that are a formidable force on stage, and to a lesser extent behind the microphone. If I had to make a comparison between Confidence Man and acts of the past, it would be Aqua and Vengaboys. They’re fun and don’t take themselves too seriously. This is transferred into their tracks. From break out single “Boyfriend (Repeat)” to “Bubblegum”, the content of the tracks are simplistic, yet oddly relatable.
A highly sexualised band (not only in their dance moves on stage, but also their lyrics), they ooze confidence in every aspect of what they do. The aforementioned “Boyfriend (Repeat)” has a bassline that you can envisage strutting itself across the dance floor, while “Bubblegum” doesn’t hold any punches with its playfulness and the wishes of Janet Planet, when comes to what she needs in a guy.
Confidence Man has built their persona and the band around a sense of mystery and the ability to make tracks that are not only ridiculously danceable, but also have uncommonly catchy choruses. Further to this, just about every track has a killer dance break built in at some point through out the song. A prime example of this is “Better Sit Down Boy” and “All The Way”.
Listening to the album, there is one song that stood out from the first listen. Other than the already released singles, “C.O.O.L Party” is the one track that will be easily memorable. Not so much for its hook and general catchiness, but its similarities to the Fatboy Slim banger “Eat, Slave, Rave, Repeat”.
Other notable tracks are the opening and closing bookends, “Try Your Luck” and “Fascination”. Having seen the band three times already, I wasn’t expecting a heap from Confident Music For Confident People. As long as the tracks were going to be able to translate to a live setting, then Confidence Man had done their job. Listening to the band in a recorded format, you realise that they’re essentially a satire on pop music and your ego-maniacal pop and dance acts. Sure they may be taking the piss, but I’d much rather they do it ironically than think they’re actually going to change the face of the pop and dance worlds.
Confident Music For Confident People is exactly that. It was never going to be groundbreaking, but it is fun and confident. And frankly, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Review Score: 6.5 out of 10.
Confident Music For Confident People is out April 13th.
———-
