Labels: At Home
Review by: Joe Callaghan
A completely self-financed vinyl release acting as a demo of sorts is always highly commendable, if not a little risky. Maybe it’s the risk that is considered commendable in the first place, as I’m sure they are fully aware that a CDR is going to be inexorably underwhelming unless presented in a remarkable way. So, mad props. The 2 cuts here offer a brief insight into the band but I really can’t help but wonder how differently this would be received, not just by me but by everyone, if they had a vocalist. I’m sure instrumental bands are sick and tired of hearing such indictment, but here we have something very poppy and buoyant, like a taciturn Minus The Bear juggled with a less frenetic Jesus Years. It closely abides to a straight and narrow twinkly indie-rock formula instead of integrating an over-indulgence in time shifts and borderline-ridiculous instrumentation, so it’s difficult to not imagine a vocalist affirming the pop-hooks on offer as stand-out assets. Without it, it plods along pleasantly but it goes nowhere. Nothing builds up or crashes down. It’s merely a couple of b-sides to a CD single. The instrumental mix, slotted in after the Radio Edit, but before the Remix by the Artful Dodger. Whilst this is a decent effort with promise and potential, it just needs something to grab the listener by the lugholes and get in their face.