In "Oceania," a fictional country introduced in George Orwell’s 1984, there were three social classes: the inner party, the outer party and the proletariat. The inner party was the highest class and maintained a level of elitism above the rest of Oceania. The party name was adapted by four musicians in Pennsylvania, and Innerpartysystem was born.
Innerpartysystem is the the by-product of the meeting of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll and electronica and pop. Songs such as "Die Tonight, Live Forever," are nightlife-driven anthems, while "New Poetry" and "Structure" explore your typical boy-hates-girl relationship woes, with a bit of a creative twist.
Much of Innerpartysystem is sexually charged. Songs such as "This Empty Love" and "Last Night in Brooklyn" are dark, haunting and very literal, while "Obsession" and "Structure" explore different territories of relationships.
The best thing Innerpartysystem has going for it is collective musical prowess. In a musical era where electro and techno have grown stale and repetitive, Innerpartysystem’s incorporates live instrumentation to supplement programming and synthesizer to create a fuller, more extravagant sound. For such a young band, the group has a very solid grasp of musicianship.
Vocalist Patrick Nissley’s voice is nearly perfect for the band’s musical style. He has the ability to croon and harmonize on the slower and softer songs, but maintains the aggression and energy found on songs such as "Don’t Stop."
Overall, the album is lyrically underwhelming. However, with catchy and witty lines such as "The road I walk is paved in gold / To glorify my platinum soul," from "Don’t Stop" it’s hard to not sing along.
Drummer Jared Piccone described Innerpartysystem as a project embracing "the idea of creating an over-stimulating and elitist environment," which invite everyone, deeming it the "ironic elitist class." This insight, along with the glamour and debauchery surrounding Innerpartysystem, has molded one of the stronger debuts in quite some time.
