Essex trio THE MORENAS' previous single "Coming Home" was a streamlined, ripsnortin' three minutes and as fine an unnanounced statement of intent as your reviewer's heard barrelling out of the ether in months. It suggested wickedly cool things were this way coming and that earmarking the next instalment was going to be a mandatory event.
And, despite coming with one of the most wince-worthy puns of a title ever, "It Shouldn't Mata" does indeed live up to its' billing as a notable release, only this time the band's customary drive and confidence comes boosted by tearful strings and UB40'S Laurence Parry supplying spicy trumpet blasts. I confess I wasn't really expecting this the first time I heard it and did actually harbour a mild disappointment initially, but after a few spins, the rhythm section's bounce, Paolo's choppy'n'economic guitar slashing and soaring, Matt Bellamy-ish vocals fall into place and it's lyrical content (as, you may have guessed, about the legendary Mata Hari and her courage in literally sleeping with the enemy) makes its' impressive presence felt.
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Flipside "Say Something Else", meanwhile, is more typical of The Morenas' punchy trio sound, with Paolo's amphetamined guitars typically free of anything too prosaic and the superb Jackson/ Wilson rhythm section urging the song to higher ground. It's loud, vital and convincing, and once again trails just the merest hint of Razorlight. Oh, and it could easily have been the A-side itself, but that's The Morenas confidence in full effect for ya.
"As the sky above you fills with stars," swoons Paolo expansively as "Say Something Else" goes supernova. It's a feeling he'll be getting used to by now, as it seems for The Morenas, the sky is well and truly the limit. Strap on those jetpacks and get on the launch pad for when their debut album appears this summer.
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