Clash Music

The Prodigy - No Tourists

• 2nd October 2018
• Joe Rivers

It packs a punch, but isn't a real big hitter...

Did The Prodigy change, or was it us? Their ‘90s hits captured lightning in a bottle and defined an era but ever since the turn of the century, their output hasn’t felt quite as vital, even though it’s seemed - on the surface at least - that nothing’s changed.

Maybe they’re victims of their own success. There was no-one quite like them at their peak, but given that Prodigy-aping acts like Nero and Skrillex seem a little passé, and their winning formula was bastardised into generic brostep, it’s not a great time for Liam Howlett et al.

‘No Tourists’ still features all The Prodigy trademarks. It’ll still rattle your fillings and each whomping beat still hits like a sledgehammer to the sternum.

Crucially, it’s still the optimal soundtrack to a futuristic drag race or being chased thorough a warehouse by some bad dudes. But too often, it seems to prioritise power, and is preoccupied with demonstrating its tectonic force above all else.

Only the siren synths of ‘Resonate’ give a hint of what could have been.

‘No Tourists’ is unlikely to win The Prodigy any new fans but it’s unlikely to upset any existing ones. And really, if rave-influenced industrial dance is your thing, these old heads are still a cut above anyone else out there.

6/10

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• Review
• No Tourists

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