Baton Rouge - s/t - 7

Labels: bakery outlet – PurePainSugar
Review by: Andy Malcolm

Two songs of Baton Rouge, is not enough. I feel deprived. Especially after that super 12″ from not so long ago. Two songs is not enough to sink your teeth into.

On “Amer”, their sound has changed a little – there is less of an emo flavour, focusing more on the rhythmical post punk side. It has the tightness and persistence of the Lapse, fused with the drive of Tubers. The vocals are up front and shouted, perhaps settling further back in the mix would have been more to my tastes but this is good music. Things break down into a slow, thoughtful finish, giving you time to reflect on all that shouting. B-side bro’ is “Contrepied, Contretemps” which features the same sonic template. I’m really enjoying the groove that the Rouge conjure up, it’s an aspect of rock music that never ceases to capture my attention. This song is a bit weaker, with a “woah oh oh oh” section that may have been included simply to make the side last longer than 90 seconds. Bar that, this again is good music.

Solid 7″, representing a different side to the band than the one they showed on the previous release. I look forward to hearing this direction fleshed out further in future.