A high-quality debut album from a new band from Brighton. Out on Sugar-Free Records, January the 30th.
If Reading Indie Life didn’t live in Reading, with easy access to London and Oxford on top of its own scene, then Brighton would be up there in terms of destinations. A place that punches well above its weight musically, with a vibrant and busy indie scene. Self Torque are a new band, though its members have all served time in other projects before coming together for this excellent start. All grew up on the local punk scene and so it is no surprise that this album absolutely knows how to rock.
The album blasts off with ‘Wicker Incident.’ Guitarist and singer Gabriel MacKenzie has a great rock/punk vocal style. It is a singing voice that constantly threatens to tip over into a shout but always stays the right side of tuneful. There is an urgency here that is present through the majority of the album, both musically and vocally.
The singles have all been fantastic, ‘(All The Things I) Wannabe’ is a frenetic urgency of propulsive drums. ‘Del Shannon’ switches gears a bit, hints of spaghetti western stylings mixing in with aspects of Del Shannon’s – though neither Ennio Morricone or Del Shannon ever rocked this hard. Shannon was a man well ahead of his time, a purveyor of incredible music including the still breathtaking ‘Runaway.’ The idea of running away seems to power the reference here, rather than this being a piece of major Del Shannon fan-boying.
Things briefly slow down on ‘Fade To Blank,’ it allows the quality of the vocals to shine a bit more clearly. The tempo instantly ramps back up with ‘Was Once A Waltz.’ ‘Respite’ is a short instrumental that quickly gives way to most recent single, ‘High Temperature Serpent.’ MacKenzie says: “The idea behind this song was just to be heavy all the way through without any “nice” bits. A reflection of the subject matter. This is a character assassination of the worst person you know. You want everyone to know how much they suck because they are so good at playing everyone.”
Lyrically the album moves between a sense of the impending crapness of the world, and a survival instinct to find a way through. That need to keep dragging yourself along, even if you aren’t always sure why you want to. Musically this a grand effort, a highly invigorating set of tracks that thrill in style. Gutted we can’t make their gig at The Library on the Cowley Road, should be one to remember.
Essential Tracks: ‘Wicker Incident,’ ‘(All The Things I) Wannabe,’ ‘Del Shannon,’ ‘Was Once A Waltz’ and ‘High Temperature Serpent.’
Live Dates:
- 06 Feb New River Studios, London – with Jay Cavalier and the Band
- 07 Feb The Library, Oxford – with Jay Cavalier and the Band
- 08 Feb The Hobbit, Southampton – with Jay Cavalier and the Band
- 03-05 April Manchester Punk Festival
Leave a Reply