Them Flying Monkeys – Best Behavior
Are you looking for uncompromising rock music, hypnotic and punkish? Are you looking for a sound that pulls you into the moment? Listen to „Best Behavior“ by Them Flying Monkeys.
Reading the news leaves me depressed, angry, even furious. And this bottled-up energy needs a valve, one that Best Behavior delivers. The third album by Portuguese band Them Flying Monkeys is an unapologetic series of hammering, rampaging rock staccatos.
Despite infusing more electronic elements, Them Flying Monkey’s sound remains harsh and loud, only rarely enthralled by catchy melodies while otherwise relentlessly stomping and shouting like a child at the cashier wanting a treat.
And they certainly don‘t beat around the bush: Beautiful Mess, a track with intro quality, opens the curtain with vigour. Explosive bursts light up like fireworks. From there on out, their onslaught just never slows down anymore.
Pretty Sticks, released as a single last year, sets the tone and style of the album. It’s a chopped-up rock sound they deliver, driven by Hugo Luzio’s merciless drums and João Tomázio’s bass. Vocalist Luís Judícibus often leans more into urging shouts than melodic singing, giving the songs a punkish vibe, while Diogo Sá (guitar) and Francisco Dias Pereira (keys) join the action, laying a carpet of psychedelic sounds.
The whole album feels integrated, yet each track remains distinct. Next Emma Stone and Everybody Everything lean into a rapid punk rock à là Sum 41. The chorus of Great Song borders at hardcore. And they’re so comfortable with their sonic signature that they can even make others work their own with Jacques Dutronc’s Les Gens Sont Fous, les Temps Sont Flous.
The only breather on Best Behavior is Not Me, at least in the beginning. A reduced composition, highlighting the spoken word by Judícibus. But the initial calm doesn’t last long, as they soon escalate to a final crescendo.
Them Flying Monkeys have a hypnotic quality regardless of their noisy attire. But it isn’t just their jackhammering composition but also their lyrics. They’re devoid of any useless fat, trimmed to the bare minimum, often hard-hitting one-liners, repeated to burn it in your mind. They take this concept to the extreme in Fake It:
You gotta fake it
’til you make it
Or something worth being done
On endless repeat, as I’ve done to write this review, Best Behavior can get a bit tiring because the sound is so raw, so unyielding, and urging you can’t ignore it. You have to listen—it’s not made for background drizzle. But honestly, that’s more praise than criticism. We certainly don’t need more music that doesn’t truly grab your attention, that doesn't pull you back to the moment.
This uncompromising energy of Best Behavior is mere genius.
Them Flying Monkeys – Best Behavior
Release: 24/01/2025
- Beautiful Mess
- Pretty Sticks
- Next Emma Stone
- Great Song
- Everybody Everything
- Not Me
- Les gens sont fous, les temps sont flous
- Aim
- Fake It
- Wilds
