Last year Chris Mullin, the bassist/co-songwriter of Liverpool outfit The Sums, took time out to explore the solo side of his musical imagination, the result a debut EP which was as richly enjoyable as it was heartfelt. This year he has done the same. Momentarily taking time away from recording The Sum’s third album, Mullins has created and unveiled a new collection of tracks in the shape of the Sooner or Later EP, an encounter which simply puts its impressive predecessor in the shade.
Also former member of Hurricane #1, Mullin has been a potent part of his home city’s current musical fabric through The Sums, his other projects and writing and also producing. As shown by the previous Myself Fooling Me EP, his solo side music has the potential to be just as impacting; indeed the introduction to his own sounds easily drew acclaim and attention. As suggested, Sooner or Later builds on and eclipses the emotively woven and sensitively delivered sounds of its predecessor. It has a spring in its step contrasting the melancholic gait of the first release but still embraces its calm and intimacy with fresh adventure and imagination.
Released on his self-owned Nowhere Music, Sooner or Later opens up with the immediately infectious Lonely Fools. Its initial melodic clang easily tempted ears, the subsequent reflective stroll centred by bass, voice, and guitar captivating them as melodic shimmers and sonic caresses surround the Mullin’s lure. Though not exactly in sound, there is something of Pete Wylie to the outstanding track, a slice of indie pop intimation and infection which just lit our ears and appetite.
The following Just Want You to Know is equally as magnetic, its instinctive catchiness aligned to personal openness in tone and word. Rhythms again entice as keys suggest and guitars weave, vocals making their earnest declaration with equal allurement and sincerity. As the first, the song is nothing less than contagious pleasure, third song, Dissatisfied Mind, enticing from the same instinctive template. Its shadows come with hopeful light, its emotional insecurity with a vibrancy that wants to escape within a weave of sound which just seduced ears.
The track completes easily the three best songs from Mullin’s solo work yet, a trio alone making Sooner or Later one irresistible proposition with the icing on the cake being its title track. An acoustic croon with imagination embracing orchestration, bold adventure, and organic catchiness understated but lively as it infests the spirit, the track just enthrals as it pleasures; those few words pretty much summing up the Sooner or Later EP as a whole.
The rumour is that Mullin’s next offering might be a full-length adventure; we for one are not only up for that, after Sooner or Later, we are greedy for it.
Trials and turbulences are no strangers to most bands but few as acute as that which impacted on British outfit The Tuesday Club and almost brought it to an end. Now though they are poised to release “unlikely album 3” in the shape of Art Is Magic, a slab of multi-flavoured rock ‘n’ roll which certainly gets under the skin in no time but an itch which just gets more delicious and addictive by the listen. It is their finest moment built across ten bold devilish tracks embracing old and new sounds with a unique imagination and their inimitable touch.
Formed in 2011 in Walmington-on-Sea, the renowned setting for British legendary comedy Dad’s Army, The Tuesday Club was an eight piece extravaganza of sound and creative revelry embracing the sights and mischief of their home town’s TV heritage. Their sound blossomed with the punk nurtured DIY attitude and inspiring sounds of the late seventies yet from day one cast its own aural image as proven by debut album See You Next Tuesday in 2013. It was a proposition though which was evolving from that first release and in open exploration by the band’s second album which was released as a quadrilogy of four EPs.
Devastation hit after the release of the first EP when drummer Terry Super Cockell tragically died. Though the band completed the album’s unveiling it was obviously without zeal; as they say the following EPs released in a ‘daze’, with the band falling to its knees and closing in on demise as members subsequently left. It was a challenging, life questioning and changing time which was not so obvious to the outside world at the time such the quality of those releases but maybe now best understood by checking out Reverse Family’s current project 365 days of songwriting, the band the solo project of TTC’s founding member Andreas Vanderbraindrain though he goes by Dermot Illogical for it. It is a still on-going colossal collection of tracks written across those times released as an EP a week for a year, many of its songs spawned from the darkness he personally fell into through those times.
TTC did survive though, its remaining members regrouping and finding a new breath and energy, stripping away “much of the old ‘glamour’ replacing it with a new urgency and directness.” Alongside vocalist Vanderbraindrain, the band now consists of guitarist Dave Worm, bassist/keyboardist Rogerio Marauder, and drummer Blairdrick Sharpely. As they suggested, the quartet has stripped back the TTC sound and brought forward its raw breath and instinctive imagination whilst broadening yet honing its creative flavourings and adventure.
Art is Magic opens with its title track, slipping in on a rhythmic coaxing until a lash of sound sparks a post punk lined stroll led by Vanderbraindrain’s distinctive tones. The song prowls the senses, keys simultaneously providing a melancholic yet mystique lined caress; it all uniting in an infectious swing and call to join its arcane devilry. Captivation was swift and only escalated as the track tempted and teased with its seventies lent enterprise.
It is a thickly potent start to the album keenly backed by the poppier rock exploits of Always taking things too far. It bounces around like a mix of Athletico Spizz 80 and Mammal Hum, a fusion of new wave and art rock which poked the appetite initially, whetted its lips further before thereon in fully teasing eager greed by the listen. It is a trait of the album as a whole, making an attention grabbing first impression but spawning lustier reactions by the play though some songs like Soulless City Syndrome had us instantly drooling. Its opening noir tinted intimation simply nurtured intrigue, the following electronic and tenacious punk ‘n’ roll of the song sparking the passions as it cantered lustfully through ears. The best track on Art is Magic, it twists and lures like an Adicts meets Zanti Misfits inspired dervish wearing a cape woven with threads of The Monochrome Set for one unique and gorgeous encounter.
It is a hard task to follow such a pinnacle yet Fruit Salad Girl with its spiky pop rock makes relatively light work of it, the infection loaded romp a nagging rock ‘n’ roll roar which had the body bouncing and vocal chords blaring in no time before Drowning My Sorrows allowed a breath to be taken with its folk pop saunter. Not that it is a dormant on the catchiness, its easy going but boisterous swing leading feet and hips away like a collusion of The Farmer Boys and Swell Maps.
Put your Faith in what you can control similarly has a laid back but tenaciously catchy gait and demeanour, again the band’s lo-fi instincts breeding a richly appetising temptation as rhythmically persuasive as it is melodically and lyrically sharp. Thus eager involvement was swift and as forcibly recruited by the bolder rousing punk ‘n’ roll of We are the Team, a song which is the band announcing they are undefeated and returning with new vigour and invention whilst creating a personal declaration for all to embrace.
It would be a shock not to have the scent of early Adam and The Ants somewhere within a TTC encounter, Let the kids run the country the irresistible moment within Art Is Magic as the band source their own earlier traits and another influences’ for a greed brewing slice of aural virulence before the darker tone and shadows of Rock and Roll’s not a science infests ears and psyche like a viral infection you cannot shake off, or in this case want to. The song reminded of short lived Welsh punks The Table at times but again TTC spin a web of sound and addiction all their own.
The album concludes with Who and youz army, a rhythmically tenacious and infectiously barbed slice of punk rock which would have aroused air punching crowds back in the day just as now. Its hooks are familiar yet inescapable and its character old school with the irritability of today; ingredients ensuring Art Is Magic goes out on a major high.
Listening to their album just hits home what we would be missing without The Tuesday Club and how lucky newcomers will be now discovering them through such a glorious romp.
Last August we gave you a first look and insight into the epic new project from Reverse Family. Starting the following October, the plan with 365 was to release 52 EPs as one a week for a whole year, each of their songs representing a single day in the inspiring life of its creator.
Reverse Family is the solo project of Dermot Illogical, though you may know him as Andreas Vanderbraindrain, the frontman of British outfit The Tuesday Club. With its brainchild embracing the various talents of others, Reverse Family first grabbed keen attention with debut album My Songs About Life Mid Crisis in 2016. In so many ways 365 is a whole new ball game for the band, a project taking the listener into the heart and thoughts, not forgetting darkness, Dermot personally experienced as he came to terms with personal despair through the death of a great friend and band mate, going through divorce, dealing with the serious illness of both parents and other traumas taking Dermot to the edge.
Since that first collection of songs sent our way to announce the release of 365, the project has been in full swing with some more teasers sent for our ears to explore. So time to give you more insight into a collection of songs which we can say to date has grabbed the imagination and pleasured ears in varying persistently enjoyable ways by focusing on a few more which have recently been unveiled.
Day 20 provides The Suns rays are just like birthdays, an inviting stroll built around a great post punk bassline as crispy beats align to the distinctive tones of Dermot. Reflecting on the radiance of the weather as emotions rise and fall, the track is a thickly infectious affair nagging away at ears like a pleasurable itch.
There is great diversity to the sound and personas of songs with 365 too, Was I a good man (day 15) swinging along with a sixties garage pop hues as guitars offer their psych kissed jangle while No Reason to run (day 6) has the rhythmic shuffle of a King Trigger aligned to an off kilter twee/ indie pop croon. Hugging a melody which enthrals in its nagging simplicity, the track is simply mesmeric, almost shamanic in its virulent enterprise.
Equally irresistible is the bricks and mortar snarl of Sunshade City (day 21). It has a gnarly tone around the pulsating shadowy lure of the bass, both at the heart of its post punk/industrial examination while with matching success We Got It (day26) sees Reverse Family embrace early Adam and The Ants textures in its resourceful punk dance. With so many tracks unveiled already it is hard to pick a favourite but this always figures in any contemplation as too does the twang lilted Keep Being the Good Guy (day 25). Its country punk tinge and another irresistible bass line and tone court the ever virulent vocal delivery of Dermot, it all uniting in one seriously catchy persuasion.
Seductive acoustic discord flirts from within Dark pop (day 7) and insatiable askew pop punk is bred through the rousing antics of Pay the price (day 3) while School gate politics (day 64) is a prowling harassment with menacing shadows and post punk intimation, kind of like a Bowie meets Artery contemplation. All three are additional pinnacles in the lofty landscape of tracks released to date and definite favourites with us among so many more.
It has to be said though that Movin’ forward (day 74) is the cream of the crop, its repetitious swing and hook lined lure simply irresistible; a real ear worm as dark as it is vibrant. There are numerous potent ways to get into 365, such as the delicious lithe tenebrific pop ‘n’ roll of Your wandering hands (day 82) but Movin’ forward is addiction in the waiting.
There is so much more to discover already with 365, aside from our glimpses, with EPs released currently standing at 19 as you read, and all there for your exploration, @ http://reversefamily.co.uk/ with plenty more adventure to come which you can keep up with through the Perfect Pop Co-Op magazine. 365 is DIY majesty with drama to be found at every turn and so much pleasure too.
A rich year for ear gripping sounds and releases, 2017 has been eagerly devoured and savoured one more time by The RingMaster Review and squeezed into the forty encounters covered on the site which most lit our fires. Here we share the treats from 21 to 40 that got the juices flowing…
An extra mention of bands which pretty much gave us as much of a buzz as those above with their offerings…
Ventenner, Mala Ruckus, Das Fluff, To Bear Sir, Kabbalah, Of Allies, NoSelf, Ward XVI, Oh! Gunquit, Kinasis, Circle of Dust, Discomister, Dearly Beloved, Lauren Hoffman and The Secret Storm, Gravves, Bokassa, Black Mirrors, Widows, SΔCRED ΔPE, The Hangmen, Madjive, Show Of Bedlam, Rum Thief, Death Blooms, The Parallax Method, Dead Cross, Rooster Cole, The Vintage Calvinos, Riffocity, Bool, All At Sea, Figures, Spreading The Disease, Loom…
Tagged as indie folk rock, the Charly&Faust sound is a much richer tapestry of flavours than that hints at and a captivating seduction for ears and thought as proven by a recently released EP. We had a chance to look into the creative heart of the California based band, finding out about its origins, that new EP, creating songs and much more…
Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.
Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?
Charly: We are Charly&Faust, an Indie Folk-Rock band composed of six members. I am Charly (Marie Weill), one of the lead singers of the band and rhythm guitarist.
CH: My name is Coralie Hervé and I’m the drummer the band, I joined Charly&Faust in October 2016.
ER: Hi, I’m Eric Reymond. I play bass and do the backing vocals. I’m from Switzerland and I moved to Los Angeles to study at Musicians Institute. I met Coralie on the first day of school and she introduced me to the rest of the band because they were searching for a bass player.
NL: I’m Nathan Lorber, I play keys, and I met the rest of the band following a Facebook notice.
JF: I’m Jeff (Jefferson Fichou) the lead guitar player. I met the band at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood.
Faust: I am Faust; the other lead singer of the band. Charly and I, first met in Paris few years ago, and we started to make music together when we moved in LA. The connection between us was great, but not powerful enough yet. That is why we decided to build a band. Now, We are like a little family!
Have you been involved in other bands before? If so has that had any impact on what you are doing now, in maybe inspiring a change of style or direction?
CH: I was in a band with some of my friends for 6 years. It was only for fun but it taught me how to play and work with other people.
Faust: It’s the first time I’m part of a band so there is for sure no impact for me.
JF: I’ve been playing in a lot of different projects here in LA and back in France. It’s important to have such experiences in the music world but everything is evolving faster and smoother with Charly&Faust.
Charly: I got bands before, but it never really worked. We were not going to the same musical direction. I have the chance to now play in two bands with people that I love working with. Charly&Faust is my main band, the one I lead with Faust, but I also play bass and sing backing vocals in another band called The Sutra. I am also working on my next solo EP now. All these experiences are complementary for me and help me to go further in my artistic process in each of them.
ER: Yes, I had two bands back home and I was playing with two other bands here when Charly&Faust asked me to join them. I don’t think it has any impact on my way of playing; I’m always trying to play everything.
NL: I have my own project called Polymorph, as well as a couple of other bands on the side.
Picture by Rémy Tortosa
What inspired the band name?
ER: It comes from the nicknames of the two singers and leaders.
Faust: We just wanted to use something that goes well together!
Charly: Like our music collaboration!
Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?
Charly: I think for Faust and I music is a way to express ourselves. That was the main idea behind this band. Be free to express our feelings and vision of the world. For the sound part, we are listening old and new music so we wanted to illustrate that in our sound.
Faust: When you play in a band, you feel stronger than ever. All together, we deliver a message and it has a better impact this way. We talk about several feelings from heart breaking to society topics to humanity questions.
NL: I think one of the key points of our sound is to mix a broad range of styles, both old and new.
And those same things still drive the band when it was fresh-faced or have they evolved over time?
Faust: Yes that’s pretty much the same. I mean the process is the same but with time the other members bring their own touch, their own way which is something I love!
JF: We’re still a pretty young band; we just started about a year ago.
Charly: The only thing that changed is that before forming the full band, Faust and I were composing our songs with an acoustic set up which sometimes was bringing guitar melodies a bit different than what we got now that we are composing with an electric set up.
How would you say your sound has evolved since its beginnings?
JF: We sound more like a band now. I mean everybody has brought some elements to the music and that’s great.
Faust: I just think that the more I practice with the band, my feelings and my way to approach music evolved. Experiencing music with them makes my personal sound evolves and this way makes the sound of Charly&Faust evolves.
CH: At the beginning, there was only Charly and Faust so it was more acoustic, folk. When the rest of us arrived, it turned more indie, rock and now we have some electronic sound added to our music.
Charly: I would say that we are starting to know each other better which allow us to play better together and go further in our creative process. We also improved a lot the vocals harmonies in my opinion.
ER: It’s way more professional now. The electronic elements are certainly a plus to make our sound more professional.
Is the creative movement within the band a more organic thing or do you go out to deliberately try and push new things?
Faust: You know we all have ideas and try to make them work all together which sometimes works really good and sometimes not but what matters is the fact we communicate a lot about it to make sure that we all go in the same direction.
ER: In general, I would say it has been always organic, but, of course, sometimes it’s nice to set boundaries to not get stuck in our comfort zone.
CH: I will say both. The first songs were already written so we kept them like they were but we experimented a lot with the new songs that we arranged all together.
Charly: I would say that it is a mix between both and that it depends of the song we are creating and its topic too.
Presumably across the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?
ER: Yes, Vulfpeck, Radiohead and Jack White help me to construct my bass lines stronger.
NL: A big influence for me is Pink Floyd, which also happen to be my favorite band. And the important role Rick Wright had in that band taught me how critical the role of a keyboardist is. You don’t just play melodies or chords, but are a central part of creating textures and setting up the whole atmosphere of a song.
Charly: Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zero, Imagine Dragons, Tracy Chapman, Assaf Avidan, etc.
Faust: I have so many artists who inspired me like Michael Jackson, Joan Jett, the Beatles, The Doors, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Coldplay… I have so much more but I’m gonna stop here *laughs*
CH : I am more of a hard rock/rock drummer, so it’s really interesting to play with Charly&Faust, to add some electronic sounds and find some groove which works with all the other instruments.
Is there a particular process to the band’s songwriting?
NL: It usually starts with Charly and Faust bringing lyrics and some vague structure and chords progression to the table. And from that, the whole band participates to enrich the musical and rhythmical aspects, and kind of put flesh on the skeleton.
Charly: Since Faust is the one who writes lyrics, she is usually the one coming to me with a new idea. Then, as Nathan said, we work just the two of us on the lyrics and the melody before working on it with the entire band. We started to work this way and it always worked pretty well, so even if we love having the other members ideas during the creative process, we like to have this moment just the two of us to be sure it is going where we want things to go.
Faust: I usually write the lyrics of the songs, sometimes even come up with a small melody. Charly co-write them with me, and most of our melodies are from her creativity with her guitar.
ER: Generally Charly and Faust bring the idea and we all together construct around to create the best song possible.
JF : My favorite moment is when we’re all jamming together to make a new song sounds as good as we can.
Where do lyrical inspirations more often than not reside?
Faust: Usually my inspirations come from the moments when I am by myself and feel alone.
Charly: It can come from a melody I composed, from a word or sentence one of us heard, etc.
ER: For my song It’s Weird Outside (that you can find in our EP Wild World), I based it on my personal life. But I try to write more about the story of people I know and feelings that affect us all at some point in our life.
Would you give us some background to your latest release?
Faust: Our latest release is our EP ! It is an Indie-Folk-Rock EP talking about love, heart breaking, life, society and humanity. We are very proud of this new baby!
NL: It’s been the result of the contribution of several different formations of the band, up to the current one. So this EP presents variety through its diverse contributions, yet still a strong sense of unity and consistency, since all of the songs are the brainchildren of Charly and Faust!
Charly: Anything wouldn’t have been possible without the help of wonderful people like Pease S. Nistades who did the artistic production on it and Gerhard Westphalen who mixed and mastered it. We also released our first music video No Rush directed by Mariano Schoendorff Ared and produced by Zoé Pelloux. You should definitely go check it on YouTube! We shot it on film and we are so happy of this amazing result!
Give us some insight to the themes and premise behind it and its songs.
Faust: Well it talks about how monstrous humans can get, how much you can give love to someone and how much it can hurt. You will have to listen to our EP to know more about all that!
Charly: The themes of our songs are most of the time about experiences we lived or we saw happening to people around us. It is very personal for Faust and I.
Are you a band which goes into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?
Charly: We are an Indie band, so we don’t really have the choice of losing hours and hours in studio trying to figure out how a song should go. We have limited time of studio so we have to come prepared, which actually allows us to go further in our creative process. It’s not a bad thing!
Faust: We usually go in studio prepared and we record. As Charly said, no time to lose! Everything must be ready, from the lead vocals to the backing vocals.
JF: We’re adding a few elements on the spot during the recording sessions but the songs are already in their final states.
CH : For the drum part, there are already written before going to the studio so the other members have a solid base to work with. I can’t screw it up!
ER: The recording process of our EP was pretty much a mix of the two options. The main structure of the songs was established. With Coralie, we record the rhythmic section with this structure and after we add the other instruments. Afterwards there are always ideas coming up that we keep on the final version.
Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably a favourite aspect?
CH : I really like it, we really have a connection together and hope that people can feel it too. It’s so fun to play with people who experiment the music same as you.
Faust: Live shows are so much fun! The connection with our audience and the band members! It always feels too short!
Charly: Live is one of the best parts for sure. It allows you to share with the band and the audience what the songs really mean to you. And it can be always different depending of what happened during your day.
ER: There’s none. *laughs* No I would say when the rehearsal ends. *laughs* Seriously, my favorite aspect is the cohesion we have on stage and during rehearsals. It’s not common to find this in a band. We don’t just play with other musicians, we play with friends.
NL: It’s always a great feeling to present the result of our hard work to the public, especially considering the amazing feedback they usually give us.
It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods? Are there the opportunities to make a mark if the drive is there for new bands?
Faust: I think the secret is playing, playing and playing music, create small buzz as much as you can, respect people and having good connections with your band members, which we are actually doing. Let’s see how it goes now.
Charly: Patience is the key word! And hard working too. You just need to be smart and work your ass off and it will eventually pay one day! You just need to get ideas that nobody thought of before you.
JF: If you have the drive, the patience and the stamina, everything is possible.
How has the internet and social media impacted on the band to date, good or bad?
JF: Internet is a fantastic tool for new bands, we’re trying to use it as much as possible to grow our fan base and network.
Faust: I think social medias are great to build your fan base, but I don’t think that is the real bones of your success! Even if for our generation it definitely helps.
Charly: Social medias are a free way to have people talking about you and follow your actualities. It is of course just a part of what should be done for a band to promote what they are doing, but it is a really good beginning! That is your chance to share you music without waiting for music professionals to tell you if you are good enough to be heard by an audience. For example, we are now posting a new video on our YouTube channel every Thursday to make sure people can see us play live shows, do rehearsals, etc.
NL: As for a lot of young bands, the internet and social media is a central part of our communication with fans and the distribution of our music. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for social media, I wouldn’t perhaps be part of the band, since that’s how I got news that they were looking for a keyboard player.
Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?
Faust: Hey! Come join our world!
CH : Enjoy your life and do what you love.
ER: Don’t tell anyone but we have a secret project coming up 😉
JF: We’re playing often in the Los Angeles area, come say hello at our next show! You can find all the info about it on our website https://www.charlyandfaust.com/ !!
Charly: Thanks for your time! We are playing at The Mint LA on November 30th at 9:30PM, if you want to come get a beer with us!
The brainchild of songwriter/guitarist Damian Carruthers, Serenade The Stars is a new proposition on the British music scene about to make their full and rather flavoursome introduction with debut single She’s The One.
Formed in Amersham/Chesham earlier this year, Carruthers has united with the talents of vocalist Matthew Harman, guitarist/bassist James Wrigley, and drummer James Burton to bring his ideas first formulated around five years back and songwriting to life. A tale of “falling hopelessly for the girl of your dreams and the ensuing battle that goes on in your mind about how to confess your love…”, She’s The One quickly wraps ears in its melodic grace and emotive expression. Harman’s impressive tones are soon in the mix too, uniting with the tender yet powerful sounds with matching endeavour as the track bares its heart and enterprise.
Echoing a premise we all have awareness with, the song is a magnet which seems to draw attention with greater adeptness listen by listen, its more familiar aspects just as potent as its individual traits and prowess. She’s The One is just the one song but more than hints that we might have a very promising and captivating prospect in store ahead with Serenade The Stars.
Having recently chatted to The Emergency Please founder and vocalist/guitarist Karan Master (ex A Gentleman’s Film) about his band and debut release, it was only right we also leapt into the Remember You EP from the UK outfit. Released a handful of days ago, the four track encounter is a spirited stroll of pop punk and funk infused alternative rock which needs little effort to have the body and imagination swinging.
Inspired by a varied host of artists headed by Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, and The Smashing Pumpkins, Master has linked up with bassist Michael Hartley and drummer Sam Garnett to complete The Emergency Please line-up though Remember You was recorded with the aid of Sam West (drums) and Adam Porter (bass). Southampton based, the band has a sound which is maybe still in the brewing stages but as their first EP shows, it is already a flavoursome proposition with rich stock for future adventurous recipes.
Remember You opens with its title track, a magnetic affair bursting from an initial guitar jangle with energy and spirit in sound and vocals. Boisterous beats punctuate the melodic web cast by the guitar, the bass more moody but no less keen an ingredient in a song which second by second gets under the skin. A little folk pop, plenty indie rock with a pop punk lining, it captivates from start to finish, alluring ears and hips with equal dexterity.
The following I Can’t Stop is just as energetic and eager to tempt with funk infused hooks and a rhythmic shuffle which just swings along. Speeding up its lures at certain times, it is a great nag on the appetite with more controlled moments providing a tapestry of creative suggestion. Put all together it provides a shuffle which is as bold as it is accomplished, matching the heights of its predecessor to keep the release holding rich attention before Lost casts its calmer, melodically intimate caress on the senses. Melancholic but with heart felt light to its touch, the track provides its own captivation to complement its previous companions.
The EP closes with Clark Kent Syndrome, a song which begins with a mouth-watering temptation of guitar string picking and proceeds to seduce with rhythmic bait led by the pulsating yearning of the bass. With vocals as potent as ever, it continues to dance on the ear though it does not quite live up to its early promise for personal tastes. Nevertheless it is a thickly pleasing end to a release which grows and persuades with increasing prowess, its closing expulsions of vocal angst against the funk woven shuffle of the guitar epitomising its appeal.
Remember You is an introduction which makes you take notice; a strong first step from a band with plenty to discover in their imagination and on the evidence of the EP, plenty of tenacity and craft to bring it to our anticipating ears.
Released on his self-owned Nowhere Music, Sooner or Later opens up with the immediately infectious Lonely Fools. Its initial melodic clang easily tempted ears, the subsequent reflective stroll centred by bass, voice, and guitar captivating them as melodic shimmers and sonic caresses surround the Mullin’s lure. Though not exactly in sound, there is something of Pete Wylie to the outstanding track, a slice of indie pop intimation and infection which just lit our ears and appetite.
There is great diversity to the sound and personas of songs with 365 too, Was I a good man (day 15) swinging along with a sixties garage pop hues as guitars offer their psych kissed jangle while No Reason to run (day 6) has the rhythmic shuffle of a King Trigger aligned to an off kilter twee/ indie pop croon. Hugging a melody which enthrals in its nagging simplicity, the track is simply mesmeric, almost shamanic in its virulent enterprise.
26 Twelve Boar – No Forgiveness
35 The LaFontaines – Common Problem
! It is an Indie-Folk-Rock EP talking about love, heart breaking, life, society and humanity. We are very proud of this new baby!
Remember You opens with its title track, a magnetic affair bursting from an initial guitar jangle with energy and spirit in sound and vocals. Boisterous beats punctuate the melodic web cast by the guitar, the bass more moody but no less keen an ingredient in a song which second by second gets under the skin. A little folk pop, plenty indie rock with a pop punk lining, it captivates from start to finish, alluring ears and hips with equal dexterity.