Having spent the past year or so establishing themselves as a local force to be reckoned with in their native Manchester, NAKED LOUNGE prove themselves ready to spread the gospel much further with this impressive, self-released EP.
The EP'S cover of a sleazoid, kohl-eyed blonde and the title "Bedroom Trash" might initially suggest bad metal, but trust me, this quartet's agenda is some way removed from that sort of cack. Indeed, the three songs making up the EP all clock in around the three minute mark, with the band proving themselves adept at brooding guitar pop which nods in the direction of the past, but not too heavily.
Actually, Naked Lounge have little in common with the usual groovebound Manchester staples. Lead off track "Perfect As You Are" proffers a handshake of chugging, uptempo pop/rock, infused with new wave-y energy and refreshingly free of indie limp wristing. Apparently the band's four members met at a Queens Of The Stone Age gig, but while there's tension aplenty here, there's nothing obviously stolen from the Seattle region in Naked Lounge's sound either, so you can rule that out while you're at it as well.
Second track "Nugget" pulls off a similar trick: all sinister, bitten-off riffing that sounds familiar, but you can't exactly place easily. Singer Josh puts in an angry, angsty and commanding performance here, while the band slowly crank up the tension and leave it all impressively frills-free. It's this lack of slack and the fact little is wasted that appeals to me at this stage.
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Final tune "In The Middle" is arguably the best thing here, though. Again, the band weave sawn-off guitar spells, while the bug-eyed vocal delivery briefly reminds me of earlier Elvis Costello, at least until the band take it up a gear and it explodes into something considerably more livid and self-lacerating, almost like early Radiohead, but with less posturing. When Josh sings "We're in the middle of a crisis yet again," he may sound a little desperate, but you get the feeling he's feeding off the tension the band create. It's a likeable intensity and something you hope Naked Lounge will be able to nurture in the future.
So, fine start and no pissing around. "Bedroom Trash" is short, impressive and galvanising. Naked Lounge play with an addictive, stripped-down passion and are surely ready to mete it out to a wider audience if these songs are anything to go by.
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