There’s a reason grunge never went out of fashion. Even though it soared high during the ‘90s with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Alice in Chains, it remains a go-to for lousy hearts even today – when you’re ticked off or just plain low. Grunge has the goods to deliver for angst, but doesn’t pack in just aggressive music.
There’s a softness, slowness and jaded quality to it that often heals, and that’s the case with Mad Orange Fireworks’ new album Under The Orange Sky . While they’ve still got the original funk and jazz influences, the move towards a Pearl Jam-inspired grunge sound makes them sound heavier. Their funnier side shows on songs like “Corporate Bum”, which expresses disdain for the nine to five overworked/underpaid culture, while frontman Michael Dias wants to break free on the peppy “Get Lost”. Now a three-member band, comprising Dias, bassist Kaushik Kumar and drummer Deepak Raghu, they love to turn up the distortion more often compared to their debut album Lifeline Cast. Dias unleashes his inner Eddie Vedder on “Mad World” about what’s keeps the globe turning these days – greed and lies.
“Nothing Left to Mend” piles on the riffs, as Dias philosophises about being confused and directionless in life.
Their other lead single, “Shaking My Ground”, is much more patient in its build-up.
At the core of it, there aren’t exactly the most profound lyrics on Under the Orange Sky , but the simplicity is not necessarily a minus for the band. You can still hear a bit of their earlier influence of The Police on the much softer track ‘On the Ledge’ that explodes into the catchiest chorus on the album. By the time they’re closing the album, the title track “Under the Orange Sky” gets into a deeply personal space, befittingly stripped down to just Dias and an acoustic guitar singing, “And you loved/And you cried/As you passed me by/Under the orange sky”.
Mad Orange Fireworks knows how to do heartfelt, but they (thankfully) also know about just rocking out. Those are the two exact channels of angst that made grunge popular, and Under The Orange Sky is a good example of why it will always remain relevant.
