Unsigned & Independent (April 2015)

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Irish Artists NO MONSTER CLUB People Are Weird

You could easily dismiss the album’s opening track ‘Can’t Get Enough Of That Hippy Dippy Bullshit’ immediately because there is a high degree of monotony on show. However it does also have a neat showing that comes through in the later progression. However, if you stay with it you are rewarded by how they make up for that with ‘Arms Across America’. In the tasteful opening line interest is piqued. That is followed by a high concentration of kitsch that provides the charm offensive with leftfield notoriety. This grabs your attention and is mirrored by the diversified calling of ‘The Severed Head’. From the Avant Garde flourish of the intro the running is a stable affair that shows how invested they are in their art. They notably derive inspiration here and this is exemplified by how neat the innovation at work enables everything to come full circle. For ‘I’ve Retired’ things seriously move up a gear. The retro flourishes on show keep the playing gains in check from the off, while the charisma of the vocals is also teased out alongside the taut urgency of the tempo. Overall this is a tune that marvellously pulls out all the stops. Impressively drawing you is ‘Winning Streak’. Again the band plays to their strengths with a signature rhythm that parades the creativity. Under this guidance the restless nature follows the tracking in a direct manner, with the result being a captivated calling through and through. If you were asked to assess this band then you would consider them to be one who stays true to

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themselves and you sense that is the motivation behind ‘A Bad Example’. In some ways it has an apparent juvenile sensibility but within that framework is a noted joie-de-vivre that is more than the sum of its parts. Again it is the flourish of creativity and individuality that ‘Post Life Safari’ benefits from. The reach is condensed to allow the guitar loops tidied away appreciated furthermore in the way the flourishes provide the creative guidance.

Capturing their ability to bring the cool to the mix as much as they can the artistic side is ‘The Loneliest Monster’. Along with the latent shoegazer calling this sees everything fall into place. As a result the pace is kept in check and defines it rightly. That is then followed by the notable maturity form the off on ‘They’re Still Cooler Than You’. This is an emphatic number that makes you sit up and take note. Arguably the best track on the album, it has a glint of notoriety in the dynamics that expertly light it up. It is sheer brilliance and that sums it up because there is no superlative to better describe it. The smarts show again on ‘Late Bloomers’ which helps things settle into a groove immediately. This is fleshed out with the apparent class showing in the play. The fanciful offbeat touches enhance the appreciation, be it in the lyrics or vocals, but they also play their part extremely well. They go all out with the closing track ‘Harvard’ which is notably progressive. The lean affair of the opening signals the intent. This informs the rhythm and the lyrics also pinpoint the anguish. It is another intelligent offering and the maturity hides away evidently but what is also at the fore is an open showing as the tracking takes it all off. This is an album that strives to be different and deservedly gets everything right in the process.

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