MONO TAXI are a well-drilled Anglo-French quartet with an ear for surprisingly traditional indie guitar pop which nonetheless possesses a certain je ne sais quoi.
Don't panic, I'll cut the hopeless Gallic inflections right there and instead concentrate on the music, which - across the course of this four-track promo - is certainly sparky enough. "Kind Of Better" features co-vocalists Ellice Williams and Antoine Collin ruefully admitting "Today I'll play with fire/ tomorrow I'll have my fingers so burnt" over a tune that's engagingly gritty and good enough to remind you that the current crop of Euro-popsters (also The Chalets and Envelope) are far better than most of the nul pwan also-rans of yore.
Second tune "Hardy Smile" is no slouch either. This one's burlier and more immediate, with a particularly cool and sassy Ellice vocal (the way she caustically dispatches that "you're so special!" line is a real high point) and some discreet, but crucial synth splatches providing likeable ear candy to chew on along the way.
Third tune "Here Right Now" is a demo, but a pretty fully-formed one. Although Ellice and Antoine are hardly Serge'n'Jane, they surely have a sultry chemistry all their own and there's a distinct sophistication lurking beneath the surface of these songs that's a credit to them. Indeed, this quality even afflicts the live romp through "Must Be The Weather" that closes the EP. It opens with a slightly blank, but threatening vocal intro and a clipped guitar hook, but cuts through with nerve to spare when the rhythm section pile in.
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So overall a pretty satisfying listen, even if at times their apparent embracing of traditional indie values dates them to Britpop times and reminds this writer of bands like cusp-of-the-90s contenders like The Popguns. That's not such a bad thing, though, and ultimately you come away thinking Mono Taxi would be worthy of flagging down if you fancy a slightly inebriated late night mystery tour.
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