Mat Motte & the People That Hate Him - 'Summer Song' & Bang Bang Romeo - 'Revolver'

Mat Motte & the People that Hate Him – Summer Song

We’re a little late on this, but as the rain bounces high off the tarmac we’ll to put it down to synchronicity. 

In ‘Summer Song’ Mat Motte may have well have struck gold, for no matter how long it takes for radio to fully get behind this sardonic ode to an English summer, it shall remain relevant. Catastrophic global warming aside; wheel it out for next year’s Glastonbury, Wimbledon or any time you wait in vain to fire-up the barbecue.

Confident rather than complacent, ‘Summer Song’ bears all the marks of an apprenticeship well served. It’s an assured slice of dirty pop with Motte’s askew (fat-trimmed) lyrics scoffing from the get-go. Motte’s return from the marshes brings a certain sense of defiance that’s most welcome and should the live shows make it north of the Watford Gap , don’t forget the invite.

Bang Bang Romeo – Revolver

Bang Bang Romeo’s ‘Revolver’ arrives hot on the heels of the well-received ‘We Were Born’ EP, that had Huw Stephens reaching for the play button, making lead track ‘Carnival’ his pick of the week. The bands roots lay somewhere between late 60’s psychedelia (think Jefferson Airplane ‘Crown of Creation’) and cinematic rock. Indeed, as Anastasia Walker belts “Your heart is holding my revolver” I can’t help but visualise flaming silhouettes of naked beauties and 007 drawing his trusty Walther PPK.

The vibrato guitar is nice, the riffs strong, and the rhythm section tight as the proverbial tick. However its Walker’s vocal that provides the real gloss here. When the power’s off her voice has low-end warmth I’d like to hear a lot more of, whilst at full tilt a belt to rival Adel, and a real sense for the dramatic.

If I have a criticism, it’s that the 4 bar chorus never doubles up, meaning I barely have time to reach for my lighter, let alone get my arms in the air.

We managed to miss them on their last visit to Manchester which is something we’ll have to remedy on their return in September.

Released 1st September

Bentcousin - Dizzy & Boy Names - Instant Ambition - Single reviews

Bentcousin – Dizzy

Hell-‘bent’ on rinsing the last drop of joy from the summer, Bentcousin pay homage to salad days and costal skylarking with sunny disposition to spare.

‘Dizzy’ is stripped to the waist uncluttered pop; free from the post-production burden forced on many a counterpart, which is exactly why it works. Amelia’s vocal, true to form, is understated and endearing; sitting somewhere between (the late great) Kirsty MacColl and Miss potty-mouth Allen. Her delivery is breezy and devoid of unnecessary frills which helps make it believable, not always the easiest trick to pull off.                                                 

 The Brighton based twins seem to understand that everything has its place and keep their arrangements neat and tidy. Even the cameo addition of a Rascalesque grime bridge fails to jar, whilst the lo-fi guitar solo that borders on the shambolic is a real pleasure.

So where does ‘Dizzy’ rank in the bent scheme of things? Well, whilst not pushing our collective buttons in the same way as the delightful ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’, it’s still worthy of a new feather in that cutecore cap, and it should prove a no-brainer for radio. We say, treat yourself to a paddle and a stick of rock, and enjoy the summer while it lasts.

Boys Names – Instant Ambition

This should be simple enough, electro pop meets RnB summer jam, does what it says on the tin right?  Well…..not quite.

It starts well enough; with bright reverb-coated guitar and finger-clicks that have you cruising South Beach with the roof down, but sadly from here on in the lines become blurred.

 

Patrick Seeburn’s vocal is breathy in a George Michael ‘Fast Love’ sort of way, but it fails to dominate proceedings as you hoped it would.  In particular the choruses lack that killer blow, the vocal choosing to meander around the guitar line rather than seeking its own melodic space.  Elsewhere, it all feels a little forced, with parts defiantly bolted together with little regard for the instruction manual. This includes a mid-song 8 bar key change that left all at Twister Towers sceptical to say the least.

That said. Its still early days for the London outfit and we’ll certainly be back to check out future releases.  As Oscar Wilde astutely noted “Ambition is the last refuge of failure” instant or otherwise, so keep the faith boys and girls.