Labels: Boss Tuneage
Review by: MH
Bedford Falls are a band I have been aware of for some time but I am not overly familiar with them. I like the few songs I have heard but have not heard a whole album or EP before despite them having been together for about 10 years now. They plough a brand of punky indie rock with a strong 90s flavour and a not insignificant amount of melancholy, power and drive. Hailing from Cardiff they give this a British slant and it is wistful and melancholy for the most part. The opening track has a bit of a “Happy Days” thing going on in its title and lyrics. On listening to the 12 tracks on offer here I am reminded of numerous 90s bands. The spikier “Prick” reminds me a little of Superchunk or even Bivouac with its guitar work towards the end. This track is a bit of a rant at friends letting you down. The melancholy “Corningstone” and “Summerdress” both recall mid-era Buffalo Tom, particularly the intro on the former which sounds like “Soda Jerk”. These are not criticisms – I’m more than happy to find bands playing a similar style to those bands. The last song, “The Nearness Of You”, is a more fragile, acoustic track. Katie Gatt provides backing vocals on most tracks and takes over lead vocals on the driven and melodic “Annabella” which is an absolute standout. I would love to hear more of her vocals. They tease us here by only letting us have the one song where she takes the lead. This is quite a step up from the few tracks I had previously heard and nods to a number of great bands. Whilst it is nothing groundbreaking, I am delighted that there are bands who still play this type of music. If any of those bands and the likes of Sugar and Moving Targets are your thing then this is worth a go. Count me in as impressed – I will be delving deeper into their back catalogue having finally given these guys a proper listen.