Future User is a new duo with Rage Against The Machine bassist Tim Commerford teaming up with Jordan Tarlow formerly of the Fuzztones. Their debut album “#SteroidsOrHeroin” was released on the band’s own label Middle Ring Partnership and is a no holds barred combination of progressive rock and electronica, a style Commerford has called “progtronic.”
Commerford himself handles bass and vocals with Tarlow on keys and programming duties along with session drummer Jon Knox and legendary producer Brendan O’Brien (RATM, Pearl Jam) handling guitar duties for the record. The album is edgy and unique, an interesting blend of progressive rock runs and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) beats. Stand out tracks are the hard driving “Supernatural” and the best mix of rock and electronica on the record “Voodoo Juju.” Also included are three remixes which lean heavily toward the EDM/club mix side. The weak link of this project seems to be the vocals as they don’t seem to always mesh well with the music.
I’m not sure if fans of Commerford’s work in RATM and Audioslave are going to appreciate his latest outing but if you’re looking for something different, give “#SteroidsOrHeroin” a listen. It doesn’t always work, but when it does it’s pretty damn good. If nothing else, Future User has totally pushed the envelope of their genre in an exciting new way and that alone is deserving of some attention.
