It should come as no surprise that the band is a firm favourite of the soon to be missed lo-fi and DIY loving club night Underachievers Please Try Harder. The album clearly demonstrates their nostalgic indie-loving influences, not least on the Joy Division-esque opening bars of bassline heavy single ‘London Bound’, a fine gem of a tune with pummelling drums and shimmering guitars.
Fortunately, they are much more than mere indie copyists and a definite asset is the singer Clara Patrick whose coos-and-trills singing style adds a touch of panache throughout. This is no better highlighted than on the songs ‘Cut and Run’ and ‘Bright Lights’ with the latter reminding me of the much-missed Broadcast with the gorgeous combination of vintage keys and the hushed fragile childlike vocals interweaving to deliver a bittersweet lullaby.
Elsewhere dissonant guitars drive the melodies throughout to give a hue of darkness and are never better than on ‘Kiwi’, a song which wouldn’t feel out of place amongst Albini-era Wedding Present and the album, like all good music (in my opinion), has a searching, yearning quality to the music and lyrical themes.
The record deserves a wider audience and the greatest compliment I can give is that it updates the C86 melancholic beauty with a contemporary modern twist to add a vibrant dark edge to the album. One hopes that it will not be too long before they play Manchester, as their songs will definitely be appreciated.
Release Date 20/05/2013 (Bleeding Gold Records)