On paper, EX-LOVERS are a boy-girl Indie-pop outfit, so you're probably thinking 'OK, we've been here before', this'll be another Long Blondes. Or another Sons & Daughters if we stretch the boundaries of our imagination.
Thankfully, the reality is much more intriguing than either of these prognoses. This double A-sided affair appears on the Young & Lost label, but 'Young & Sussed' would be a much better description as these two songs are enough to bring you up short.
'Photobooth' is especially good. It's a showcase for a serious, committed young band. The guitars chug impressively, the vocals are loaded with harmony and mystery and they drag this writer back to a time when under-rated bands like The Passions brought a touch of ethereality to the charts without everything having to be drenched in reverb.
|
Nominal B-side 'Weightless' is equally fascinating in a totally different way. It's darker, considerably more unhinged despite the group's inherent discipline and a lot heavier in a Pavement or 'Dirty'-era Sonic Youth sorta why. It's the kind of song actually deserving of an over-used epithet like 'edgy' for once.
Ex-Lovers show real promise here. They play the kind of intelligent, purposeful guitar pop that should never be allowed to die out. Check them out and make sure they don't slip through the cracks.
|
