Nightshift 'Homosapien'

 

Third album from Glasgow quartet out now via Trouble in Mind

Following on from the stellar workings of the sophomore offering, Zoe (2021), the Glasgow based four-piece return with more of the same and something a bit more.

A combination of DIY basement, jam music but with a lyrical melody running throughout; the band have had some changes in personnel and position as Chris White moves from drums to lead guitar and this personality shift has led to a more driving lead sound from his strings.

The best song on the album 'Sure Look' is indicative of this driving statement of intent, pulsating energy coursing through and yet reflective in the same breath.

The lyrical content ranges from self-preservation in these existential times and yet the DNA of post-punk resonates throughout from the slow hum of say 'Cut' to opener 'Crystal Ball' which is at times psychedelic. It is always better when a band shows a different string to their bow without losing sight of their own identity.

A hypnotic album that grows upon you with each listen, this is a band still growing and hopefully garner a greater following in the coming years.

Homosapien is out now from Trouble in Mind Records

Cowtown 'Fear Of...' - Album Review

 

New album from Leeds based trio, out via Gringo Records 31st May

Made up of a born and raised three piece, Hilary Knott (keys/vocals), Jonathan Nash (guitars/vocals) and David Shields (drums); the band return with their first new record in eight years. They have always fallen back into each other, able to tour without much fanfare and yet be a great support band for those touring the northern settlements of England.

Nash is noted for being drummer of Hookworms which became Holodrum and Knott experimented with Basic Switches. And these bands DNA help ferment the DIY feel of Cowtown; the experimental fervour of Devo mixed with the punk-tastic tunes of White Denim.

Take for instant previous single, 'Can't Talk Now' which has the big chorus feel; or 'As Close To Town As I Like It' which takes Knott's measured vocals in unison with the melody. There are indie tunes here peppered with punchy works such as 'Total Engagement' or 'Thru Being Zuul' which provide that indie pop power that recalls Tokyo Police Club's apex.

 

There is a mixture of power and precision running throughout ending with the rousing 'Currently Unavailable' as the album's last track - yet this is a credit to a band that has worked the circuit for twenty years honing their craft, this is not a band but friends making music together winningly.

Lasting for that period of time in the underground scene, is reason enough to celebrate, yet to return with perhaps their best work and an album of positivity and jams to fill up any indie dancefloor is reason to be shouted from the rooftops.

Fear Of... is out from Gringo Records on 31st May 

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Buffet Lunch - The Power of Rocks

 

Eclectic debut album from Scottish four piece out 7th May via Upset the Rhythm

Buffet Lunch are a four man band from Scotland, who are on a mission to serve up imperfect pop songs with humour and energy, this has been formed into the kaleidoscopic debut album that is The Power of Rocks out on 7th May from Upset the Rhythm.

The parts of the band consist of Perry O'Bray (vocals/keys/guitars), Neil Robinson (bass), John Muir (lead guitar) and Luke Moran (drums), who came together through a love of all things pop and indie and everything in between the two cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Together the foursome of constructed a wonky DIY feel to their cacophony of sound which runs the gamut of emotions from loneliness and downbeat to the upper echelons of breezy melody.

Recorded on the banks of Upper Loch Fyne in Argyll over four nights and five days at the beginning of March 2020 before the world pandemic took hold, there is a sense of living in the moment when listening back to the album's eleven track sequence.

A blend of production and musicianship take hold as the run times of songs differ throughout from the sub two minute shouts of 'Pebbledash' and 'Bladderwrack' combine against the longer more traditional 'Looking at Liz Talent's Chair' and 'Ashley's New Haircut'.

This encompasses everything with a seemingly brief 38 minutes total run time yet the melodies and compositions stay with you throughout and after the fact - from the bop and riffiness of 'He Wore Two Hats' to the anthemic title track which embraces the feeling of climate and location of recording that took place.

An album of time and place at once, this is a work that may be difficult to access for many but you are certain people said this of Black Country, New Road at the beginning - when the ear worm worthiness of songs take hold it cannot be denied.

For fans of such obscure artists as Sweet Baboo (do check out Wild Imagination from 2017) and those other eclectic bands of the last few years such as BCNR and Pet Shimmers; this is an album that is both mesmerising and engaging.

The Power of Rocks is released on 7th May via Upset the Rhythm

Follow the band on Twitter and Instagram

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity

Es - Less of Everything

First full length album from quartet Es from Upset The Rhythm in April 2020

Es are less a band and more a manifesto - lets be loud, lets be proud - a virtual coolness of pop friction, prickly in their composition but deliberate in their conviction.

The band are a four-piece, Maria Cecilia Tedemalm (vocals), Katy Cotterell (bass), Tamsin M. Leach (drums) and Flora Watters (keyboards) made noise in 2016 with their debut EP 'Object Relations' released on La Vida Es Un Mus label, they have become a prominent member of the underground DIY music scene since 2017

In the form of Tedemalm, the band have a vital front person who can be the focal point for the group. The band are as much about attitude and this is backed up by the dynamic of being relentless in this album - this is an emotional journey that carries you through the scale of nuance to complex; and while other DIY groups may sound cold there is a welcoming nature to this band. Es are ones to watch.

Less of Everything is out from Upset The Rhythm on April 3rd.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.