Now, I wasn’t around in 1920, and I can’t say I’m too sorry about the fact. To adapt the ‘Chinese curse,’ I’m actually rather pleased to find myself living in interesting times. But is 2009 really the new 1920, and is the new 1920 an improvement on the original?
This Cardiff-based quartet have certainly had some respectable exposure and got themselves pretty well-connected ahead of this, their debut EP, which was produced by members of Lostprophets – who they’ve also toured with, as well as having played support slots for Fighting with Wire, Kids in Glass Houses and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly.
While citing influences spanning The Jam, Pearl Jam, The Police, Strokes and Kings of Leon, lead track ‘Come Around’ shares much common ground with the alt-rock lite of Lostprophets, with rock guitars backed off to allow the melodic vocals to stand to the fore. There’s an edge to it, but the angst is most definitely tempered by the proliferation of hooks and the accessible radio-friendly production.
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‘Amber Gambler’ and ‘Head for the Exit’ may have more bite in the verses, but are still punk-pop with monster shoutalong choruses and vocal harmonies that immediately diffuse any implied threat. The live acoustic rendition of ‘Keep On’ is earnest and worthy and unremarkable – and sounds like it was played ‘live’ without an audience present. Hmm. The end result is rock that the kids can air guitar to (hell, they even sling in solos in the middle eights) but that’s unlikely to annoy the parents too greatly. Unless, of course, they were actually around in 1920, in which case it’s probably an unholy racket to their ears.
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