When I was handed this album, I was told it was punk. When it came to writing this review I had all of these smart references lined up, Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Clash, they all got a mention. I had a superb review written and then, like a shake of the head from fate, I was corrected and told that the genre is rock.
Gutted.
I’ve had to start again, but fear not, the music is still flippin’ brilliant and the album is a solid rock album that will treat fans of guitar riffs and chugging bass, the drum rhythms are varied and throughout the eleven songs on offer, not a step is out of place.
I’m glad this music isn’t punk because punk seems too limited a genre to explain what this London four-piece gets up to, there are hints of heavy metal, thrash (particularly on the headbanging ‘Mr Lemon Shake’) and good solid rock. There are a few standout belters, ‘Jack All’ is based around a great riff before shifting gear midway through and evolving into a festival-friendly anthem that could well be faced by tens of thousands of fans in a muddy field in the summer jumping up and down with their arms in the air!. Some hope eh?Â
There are moments here and there that reminded me of David Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters’ phase with heavily distorted guitars and clever production twists. This is an album for volume and it’s a shame that music venues are currently closed and gathering debts because this music is crying out for an audience. It’s what good rock music is all about, it’s energetic, engaging and deserves a room of people rather than a cd player or set of earphones.
This is a solid rock album, showing that, if you scratch beneath the surface of what radio stations consider to be rock, you can find a gem of a band that understands that music is sometimes about cranking up the volume and forgetting the mundane for a while. Seek them out people!
