REVIEW: Moving Targets - Red Eyes

Forty three years is a long time for anyone to imagine but MOVING TARGETS have been making and releasing music for exactly that long. Red Eyes is their 8th studio album which is their 4th album since their revival in 2018. The album is packed with classic alt and punk rock, just like it was in the 90s.

The opening title track Red Eyes is a completely instrumental number that establishes the general sound for the album. With a building structure and a repetitive descending riff which the drums dance around with a ringing guitar hums in the background. The track builds and drops just like a track with vocals would but stays this one goes without them.

Saw Too Much opens with a twangy bass before those classic punk guitars enter, the vocals following not long after. The layered vocals bring a classic texture as well as tambourines and rock drum beats. The song structure is basic but perfectly enjoyable, a short number that perhaps could've used another few bars to finish it off.

On The Run brings a darker vibe with minor chords and thorough crash usage, the instrumental is almost reminiscent of more classic rock rather than punk like a lot of other tracks on the album. The lyrics are simple and relatable referring to a relationship at its tail end, the melancholy chords reflecting the lyrics.

Superficial World opens with definitive drums and guitars, fast paced with a repetitive, catchy bassline. Much like the other tracks so far on the album the song structure is simple and repetitive, lacking much variation or interruptions to the pace of the song.

The next track Fly Away has a building introduction with the same descending guitar riff through the entirety of the track. The chorus is short and simple before returning to the verse, the lyrics also don’t vary much, the bridge changes up the drum beats and welcomes a very distant guitar solo that isn't given much light.

Lost and Found is slightly more punk with a bit more distortion and layering both instrumentally and vocally offering more texture than previous tracks. The tone is more melancholic but again the lyrics and riffs are very repetitive with very little deviation. The last pre-chorus offers possibly the best guitar solo on the album, following the basic structure of the song but singing alongside it.

King Zen is an instrumental track which is slightly lighter than the last with tambourines and an acoustic guitar layered in. The instrumental has the same structure as every other track with space for verses and choruses.

Surface is a slower number with a deep twangy bass that repeats through the track. The chorus only brings four bars of variation between the verses, perhaps longer choruses could provide a longer break from the repetition.

Nine Lives starts with a fast paced bass line, picking up again from the last track. The second half presents another short guitar solo adding more character before cutting the track short with a ringing guitar to finish off.

The last track of the album Regrets doesn't provide much change with another alt rock track that repeats its riffs and has short sections. The second half has a short drum fill which is highlighted by the silence of other sounds, as well as a guitar solo filling out the rest of the song before an anticlimactic end.

Overall the album is pretty paint by number with nothing creeping outside of the lines of alt or punk rock, but all in all the album is well made, mixed and mastered and there's nothing to fault. The album was well received by fans and is a comfortable medium album for the band and their long term listeners.

Score: 6/10

Red Eyes was released on 25th July via Boss Tuneage and Dead Broke Records

Words: Amy Smyth

Photos: Moving Targets