Life’s full of little surprises, eh?
There’s little doubt that this Cambridge four-piece know how to write a good little tune
, but the surprise is that I quite like it! All three tracks on this EP are more acoustic-based than I would normally go for, but they fairly rock and race along, and I can imagine they produce a pretty good live set. My only real grouse is that all three tracks sound quite similar. Good, but similar. Then again, that’s probably because I don’t generally listen to this type of music and don’t appreciate all the subtle nuances.
Title track, ‘Friends & Foes’ is a good strong opener. It’s full of fizz and energy, melodic and is heavy on the piano that overlaps the acoustic sound of guitar. A string section adds depth, and a mid-song electric guitar solo gives a good, solid rocking feel to the song. The vocals are strong and clear, and unlike in the following song they are varied in tone and delivery.
Yeah – ‘Nothing To Relate’ is my least favourite of the three songs – mainly because the verses are sung in a rather boring ‘straight line.’ The chorus is better, and the song is still ‘good’ but more just sort of washes over rather than refreshes and grabs attention.
Final track ‘Big Mammoth’ is the longest of the three at just over three and a half minutes. It starts out quietly for the first minute, but soon bursts into life slowing only momentarily once again before rising up and careering towards the climax. As with all the songs, the piano takes a central role and has a sort of Bruce Hornsby feel, while the guitar work has the fuzzy sound of The Isley Brothers. It’s a combination that works well.