This post was originally made offsite in June 2017.
The title track, “Foregrow,” is as traditional as you’ll find this EP: a 7/4 time signature with frenetic, almost danceable drum patterns that slowly take shape throughout the first two minutes of the tape. The two main synthesizer tracks compete for your attention throughout their time together, but paying attention to either or is quickly forgotten once a third joins the mix. High pitched, whiny but not pitchy, and reminiscent of a classic Frusciante solo in something like “Throw Away Your Television,” it becomes the focal point from its genesis. Add in the cryptic lyrics and lushly layered voice of Frusciante on his only vocal appearance this time around, combined with the almost orchestral background synths, and you have a standout of his electronic discography thus far.
“Expre’act” is deliberately anti-convention; the drums that would usually provide the rhythmic center cannot find theirs in constantly shifting patterns both as a whole and within the individual components. Where the synths worked harmoniously on the first song, these are off kilter in relation to each other and only take the drums as a suggestion rather than a guide. Much like others on this release, the feel of the track switches up past about midway through. While the helter-skelter drums remain, some synths strip away and we see the first appearance of a real guitar, and its solo is not flashy, distinct, or anything like you’d expect from one of the greatest guitarists ever. It almost sounds accidental until you understand the context of the song and the EP as a whole; it (intentionally) lazily follows one of the existing synth patterns as the drums continue to provide no structure at all, even getting more out of hand with additional raucous hi-hats.
“Lowth Forgue” begins fun, another upbeat 7/4 track with bright synths reminiscent of the opener “Foregrow” on a psychotropic. The drums start off light before dropping into the kick- and hat-driven measured frenzy we’re used to. They drop out not too long after, and those bright synths get higher and higher before you’re hit with a menacing, almost brassy pattern that might not sound out of place on a Kanye production. New drums emerge, as does another solo of sorts with three different synths taking turns before the track changes into something unrecognizable, not really driven by anything until another new drum beat kicks in
The EP winds down with “Unf,” an 8/4 downtempo closer. A low synth powers the first section of the song as John’s guitar comes back in a beautiful swingy, maybe island-y riff before succumbing to the genre and resurfacing with glitches and distortion galore. The melodic bridge calms things down further, as new synths imitate but not quite copy the earlier guitar riff before spiraling up into the high end while something resembling bass fills out the low end, then we’re hit by a brand new bit that wouldn’t be out of place on a 2004 John solo track or even a lost Julian Casablancas demo. This is followed by Frusciante quickly rebuilding a controlled chaos, which evolves into something taking a dancelike clap- and guitar-driven life of its own (and the guitar feeds that jittery funk rock fix many RHCP fans have been craving for a decade) in another distinct portion of the track to cap off the experience
John Frusciante shows marked improvement over his past electronic releases, and it’s interesting that this coincides with him adding less and less natural sound to his music. Fans of the genre should undoubtedly give this EP a spin; at only four tracks and 21 minutes, it’s very listenable and will be a familiar yet somehow new experience for even longtime listeners. Fans of Frusciante should give it a try; everything he’s done has his soul in it and it’s clear that this is no different. The casual observer who may not be too into John or electronic music should approach cautiously. Starting off with something like “Expre’act” is a great way to sour both the artist and the genre for yourself. My recommended listening order for people in that category would be “Foregrow,” “Unf,” “Lowth Forgue.” Come back to “Expre’act” after getting your feet wet, maybe.
It’s hard to find too many negatives with this release. Many of the sound effects were unnecessary, which comes with the territory, but some of them actually added to the experience. The length of the songs may look daunting before giving it a listen, but they switch up so many times within themselves that you hardly realize you’re only listening to four tracks. It hit right around the Goldilocks length: it doesn’t feel incomplete but it doesn’t drag on. There’s decent replay value, it’s not exactly background music you can throw on whenever but repeated listens can give way to new discoveries or simply a good time all over again. I’d give Foregrow somewhere around an 8/10.