Labels: Best Before Records
Review by: Joe Callaghan
It’s pink! It’s warm and fuzzy but it still rocks hard, like the sound of Dale Winton playing Guitar Hero in the buff, jam packed with that adorable Glaswegian tinge. Not in a football hooligan, kicking the crap out Catholics kind of way. No no, just the broad pronunciation being vocally audible more often than not. It is certainly charming, and I’m thankful it’s not a synthetic Californian warble chiming over the top of the gang shouts and hootin’ n’ hollerin’.
So, you’ve probably heard of this lot already. They seem to get generically pinned alongside all that fiddly, “mathy” Hot Club Needs Guns indie pop, which is exceedingly unwarranted as they pleasantly focus their attention on actually writing good, catchy, memorable pop songs instead of irritatingly plucking overly complex arpeggios which exasperate more than they incite.
“Hey Everyone!’ is their debut full length although a cumbersome chunk of the record will be quite recognisable to those familiar with their preceding material, including selections from their 7″ singles and their debut EP, Sissy Hits. Some have been reworked and sound sharper and more suited to their developing sound for this record. Some have been left alone and whilst the production alters slightly, the pre-recorded offerings don’t stand out outlandishly in any way. The record on a whole differs somewhat from previous releases which seemed to have a certain theme and tempo. Whilst the Pink Sabbath single launched itself into a hectic frenzy, the Sissy Hits EP plodded along at a mostly stable mid pace, changing more in volume than time. The “Black Wax’ single immediately boasts a return to the tempo and approach of the EP. It stomps along steadily towards a simplistic catchy chorus, but gives an inaccurate insight into the rest of the record in terms of stylistic consistency. Each track is bursting with vigour and the exchange of vocals from all directions adds a certain unpredictability only matched by the immediate stops and starts triggered by the alternating throttling buzz-saw and sparkling chiming guitars. Hey Everyone! asserts fits and spurts of frantic chaos and foot-stomp radio rock toppling with howling chants and a tank full of FUN.