A press release can paint a thousand words, and the Luton band employs key descriptors like ‘surf’, ‘punk’ and ‘guitar’ – and indeed ‘instrumental’. So, it’s no great surprise that the opening track on what’s the band’s 7th album indeed features twangy six-strings and a slight space-rock vibe. Indeed, it must have been all the label could do to avoid other phrases like ‘Dick Dale’ or ‘Man or Astroman’.
However, apart from the tunes that open the CD actually being pretty damn good – in an instrumental surf-rock guitar way – there does, as the album progresses, appear to be more to the band. The release is vocal-free, but apart from the quality tunes, they move on, away from the 60s-meets-21st century feel we expect – hard to describe but they’re taking riffs you might find in grunge, or from Joy Division, or post-rock, reworking them a little, throwing some spooky farfisa or theremin in there and giving them a pop sheen. It’s not rocket science, but it sure works.
