Labels: Kind of Like Records
Review by: MH
The singer from Great Cynics grew up near where I’m from and went to another school close to mine in the hub of punk rock that is Buckinghamshire. Cynics started out as a solo acoustic project for Giles Bidder and last year he sold his soul and everything else before adding a bass player and drummer for the debut album for which they changed the name to Great Cynics after another band called Cynics demanded sole rights to the name. Great Cynics lie somewhere on the border between indie and punk – somewhere in the realms of the more upbeat stuff by the Weakerthans and they have a very English sound partly due to the vocals and the lyrics. This EP is 3 new versions of 3 songs that he previously released when he was doing his acoustic punk stuff. I think they’ve really added something to each song with the added instrumentation. Opener “In The Valley” is an unashamedly poppy song (in fact, all 3 songs are) and I’m suppressing the urge to throw in a lazy Lemuria comparison when the female bass player sings the second verse. The backing vocals are a great addition on this EP and the last track “You’re Alright” is even more anthemic than the original acoustic version. It’s a simple song about missing someone with a big singalong chorus and manages to squeeze in a Jets To Brazil reference. I like the positive, down-to-earth lyrics on this record too which add to the charm. He’s singing about friends, listening to records and drinking cider. All staples of my youth – although you’d need to swap the K Cider for Strongbow Super to make it even more accurate. Good, catchy stuff all round.