From the consistently engaging cover art of George Underwood (Bowie, T. Rex) to the clean and moody guitars of Jamie West-Oram, The Fixx have quietly developed one of the most rewarding discographies of bands that found commercial success in the 1980s. A decade since releasing the formidable Beautiful Friction, the band returns with another classic sounding record that is every bit as strong as Reach The Beach. Having just enough commercial success in the 80s to maintain a following without becoming overly reliant on nostalgia, The Fixx are free to move forward as a band and they do that elegantly on Every Five Seconds.
Vocalist Cy Curnin remains a master of balancing hope and paranoia and 2022 seems perfectly suited for a new album from The Fixx. The tension of “Wake Up” grips you tightly and allows the dark shadows of everyday life to dance dangerously close. The sequencing delivers a respite on the following track, “Suspended In Make Believe”, a textured ballad that would sit nicely between Bowie and Pink Floyd in the 1970s. It’s one of several pleasant surprises on an album that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome or fall out of balance. Without having to worry about radio and videos, there isn’t a focus on “singles” and the album is better for it. I could see a major label fussing about opening the album with the less aggressive “A Life Survived” but the track is essential to setting up the thematic path of the record.
While never achieving quite the commercial heights of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, there is a lot in common between these two acts in 2022. Both have released some of their best work in the last decade and they are two of the strongest live acts from the era. While OMD have embraced their roots as synth-pioneers with a heavy Kraftwerk vibe, The Fixx are eager to assert their place as one of the best rock-n-roll bands that found success on the cresting wave of MTV. New songs like “Spell” are going to be ferocious live and will surprise audiences who might only remember the hits. If albums still matter, if songwriting still matters, if great music still matters, The Fixx’s Every Five Seconds deserves to be heard by more than the handful of us who still own Reach The Beach on cassette.