Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm
It’s always nice when bands send demos for review, but particularly if said band is not even in this country and has clearly spent the time working out that we might actually like their band. Tension Envelopes play five songs of fuzzy, lo-fi indie rock on here that settles firmly into a UK inspired sound, somewhere between the Wedding Present and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Of course, that’s pegging them in elite company right off the bat, and that’s more than a touch unfair to a brand new band, but Tension Envelopes are doing a good job with their muddy, ponderous musings. The production is spot on for such music, and although the song writing could do with tightening up, this is an impressive start and I think they’ll progress nicely from here. I think where it falls down mostly for me is the vocals, which work really well on the first song, buried under the piles of instruments and fuzz, but on track two they take a more prominent roll, and are monotonal and drawled, which didn’t really suit me. This is a stark contrast to track 3 which has great female vocals for a nice change of pace.
Tension Envelopes are not quite there yet, but there are sparks, and it’ll be interesting to hear where they go from here.