You might think that 30 letters was too long for a band name, and if you were a techno DJ or an indie band, then you’d most likely be right, however as this lot are in fact a doomy cabaret coven, it is in fact perfectly reasonable.
The slow throbbing creepiness of the opening to ‘In Love’ gives way to chants of “fall in love”, whilst the drum skips and rings behind, only a brief cello melody takes away from the incantation, a simple repetition of a couple of bass notes drives the track from start to finish.
‘Fallen’ has more of a cabaret swing to it, with the voices much clearer and the sounds much lighter, there’s almost a hint of fun to it and at about 70bpm, is in no rush to get anywhere.
‘We Need Them Alive’ brings back the scratchy, bassy keys and cello, and is all the better for doing so, the spoken lyrics reminiscent of the rhythms of the Butthole Surfer’s ‘Pepper’, until a rich breathy voice washes over the top, only for a final punky shouting to make this track the highlight, at four minutes the longest on the EP, but somehow far too short.
It’s unpolished, but not in a bad way, and the references are worn on their sleeves, from Kate Bush to Amanda Palmer, from Fever Ray to Portishead, with a touch of Rose Kemp all in there, but the delivery of the vocals is great, from unruffled to enraged, totally engaging throughout.
Word: Stevie Williams
