Vol. 121
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Full Pelt Magazine
Tag: Music
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Power Snatch
‘EP1’
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POWER SNATCH – EP1 – EP REVIEW
Introducing Power Snatch, the new band from Hayley Williams and her ‘Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party’ producer Daniel James! Yes, introducing themselves with ‘ASSIGNMENT’ earlier this week the duo have also added a new EP cleverly titled ‘EP1’ on their Bandcamp page.
The three-track collection serves as a fuller introduction to this new strand of Williams’ multi-faceted career. The release follows on nicely from her acclaimed latest solo effort and gives more space for Williams to explore her creativity away from the shackles of Paramore.
These songs are lowkey and ooze indie angst with Williams naturally at the fore. As Williams continues this fascinating journey she is on it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Power Snatch but on first listen we’re eager for more!
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IST IST
‘DAGGER’
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IST IST – DAGGER – ALBUM REVIEW
Manchester’s IST IST are back with their fifth new album since 2020! Their musical journey over these years has seen increasing confidence and ambition from the four-piece and ‘DAGGER’ is an album of true quality.
The opening trio of ‘I Am The Fear’, ‘Makes No Difference’ and ‘Warning Signs’ are a magnificent introduction to the record. The tracks showcase immaculately the synth-laden post-punk rhythm that drives these songs into your consciousness.
The album then settles in on ‘Burning’ and continues to take the listener on their own journey of sonic pleasure. Clocking in at just over thirty minutes over the course of ten sublime tracks, the album is easily able to mesmerise with its sheer elegance.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘I Am The fear’
With dashes of The Cure and Depeche Mode, pop sensibilities and lashings of modern post-punk aesthetic, the gravitas of this album is immense. This is all bound together by the powerful resonant timbre of singer Adam Houghton’s voice.
The title of the album links to the duality of life, and the themes of the album are tied to the nuance of living and their experiences gained from being in a band. These are songs that live and breathe themselves and that is the biggest strength of the record.
IST IST have already managed to cultivate a cult following with their previous albums and live showings, now ‘DAGGER’ feels like an album that deserves to make them a household name!
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The Molotovs
‘Wasted On Youth’
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THE MOLOTOVS – WASTED ON YOUTH – ALBUM REVIEW
A lot of big words have been used to describe sibling duo The Molotovs. The London based band have been coupled to that hype train and have spent the past year touring non-stop in order to get their name out there.
Finally, though the time has arrived for that all important debut album and fans already onboard will be familiar with many of the songs that make up ‘Wasted on Youth’. It’s still nice though to hear them collected together in this eleven track, thirty-two minute whirlwind of a record.
Wearing their influences very much on their sleeves, you get the attitude of punk, the swagger of Britpop indie and the grit of garage rock bundled together in an aesthetic eerily reminiscent of The Jam.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘TODAY’s GONNA BE OUR DAY’
Produced by Jason Perry who has a proven track record for harnessing the catchiness of songs, it shouldn’t be a surprise that singable choruses are central to this album as pop slickness is embraced as well.
At times paying homage to their heroes translates with a little too much cliché but you can look past that if you just want to enjoy these songs at face value. There will be those sceptical of the quick rise of the band but on the evidence of this album the hype is warranted.
The album is very youthful in feel and there is certainly room for growth from Mathew and Issey Cartlidge but the talent is here to enable that growth given time. Closing with early single ‘Today’s Gonna Be Our Day’ feels apt as you feel that the release of this album is just the beginning of what will be many good days for the band.
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Full Pelt Magazine
Vol. 120
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Joyce Manor
‘I Used To Go To This Bar’
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JOYCE MANOR – I USED TO GO TO THIS BAR – ALBUM REVIEW
In a serious world that has truly lost its mind, it’s sometimes nice just to lose yourself something silly and fun. Well, perfect timing for the latest Joyce Manor album to arrive then!
A nostalgic record both in tone and tune, ‘I Used To Go To This Bar’ would’ve fit in easily in the early 2000’s. Working with Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewitz, this is regular programming for the band but with enough vibrancy to keep things interesting.
A bit of country twang, some emo angst and plenty of scrummy hooks will keep your dependable love of the band alive and provide you with that touched upon much needed escape from the realities of modern life.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE SO DEPRESSED’
‘All My Friends Are So Depressed’ and ‘Well, Whatever It Was’ lead the charge but altogether these are another nine solid pop punk tracks. No ground is being broken but sometimes that’s absolutely fine.
Given the typically short duration of the record, you will happily be able to spend some time with these tracks and when you do they will etch themselves into your head.
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Trash Boat
‘Even If I Never Get There’
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TRASH BOAT – EVEN IF I NEVER GET THERE’ – EP REVIEW
Despite being critically heralded (including by us), to say that Trash Boat’s past two records have been met by a mixed reception amongst fans would probably qualify as an understatement. Whilst many have loved their experimentation and joined them on their evolution, many met their alt rock showpieces with one big shrug.
Having broken through with a brash pop punk edge, some were disappointed when they ambitiously reached for something sonically grander. This lacklustre response coupled with cancelled tours gave the band a bit of a beating but thankfully their resilience has shone though as they return now with new four track EP, ‘Even If I Never Get There’.
Kicking off with fantastic single, ‘Get By Or Die’ fans of all eras of Trash Boat will be able to unite behind what is a superbly blended sound with the freedom of their early work mixing stirringly with the intensity of their recent outputs.
This is of course only a short sharp snapshot of where the band currently find themselves, but this feels very much like a fabled reset moment. The past is honoured, the present is strong and excitement can build again for the future!
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Full Pelt Magazine
Vol. 119
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Poppy
‘Empty Hands’
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POPPY – EMPTY HANDS – ALBUM REVIEW
The volume of music released by American singer Poppy over the past decade is really quite absurd. Not a year has passed without a notable release and that relentless flow of releases continues now with her seventh album, ‘Empty Hands’.
Poppy works again with in-demand production wizard Jordan Fish for a second consecutive album, and this record does feel like a convenient next step from its acclaimed predecessor, ‘Negative Spaces’.
The evolution of Poppy from YouTube android, to pop star, to now being widely accepted into the rock and metal world has been steady and backed up by credible songs and undoubted talent. Now with ‘Empty Hands’ you can sense that artistically at least Poppy feels settled in her skin.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘Bruised Sky’
These thirteen tracks are as expected very polished and for their genre extremely well crafted. That shouldn’t surprise anybody especially with Fish so heavily involved. The Fish tank however is arguably getting full of increasingly indistinguishable musical fry and perhaps some further growth will be needed to continue to stand out.
‘Bruised Sky’, ‘Guardian’ and ‘Unravel’ all help to ensure that the first half of the album is engaging enough to harness your attention and the remainder of the album does enough to keep you alert until Poppy really let’s go on the closing title-track which is a fitting finale for the record.
If you’ve already invested in Poppy, then this album will serve you well and there’s also plenty here to allow newcomers to get an understanding of what Poppy has to offer. The interesting element of her career however has been her musical development and hopefully that will continue into the next decade!
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THE HARA
The Fallout
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THE HARA – THE FALLOUT – ALBUM REVIEW
Since their 2017 inception, Manchester alt-rock trio THE HARA have poured their hearts into a string of releases which culminated in their debut album in 2023. Energetic performances on any stage that will give them a platform have backed up their promise and evidenced their authentic passion for what they do.
In such a unique, unrelenting and unforgiving industry many will eventually see such passion swallowed up and be left devoid of fight. Well, that’s not THE HARA who seemingly harness life’s challenges into a productive output which is again on show now as that they share their second album, ‘The Fallout’.
The album opens with singer Josh Taylor passionately exclaiming “I wear my skin like a trophy, so they give a fuck about me, my heart in a tomb till it can’t breathe, so the pain is harder to read”. This type of visceral, frank lyricism sets the tone for the record and brings about the atmospheric and emotive modern rock that they’ve developed so vividly.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘EASIER TO DIE’
‘Easier to Die’ and ‘Monsters & Demons’ follow quickly on and embed expectations of the twelve-song collection. This is an album that you can get thoroughly emotionally invested in but can also simply serve as a short sharp escape from the world if you just want to get a musical adrenaline fix.
This is one of those releases where each track brings something to the table, but ultimately the cohesiveness of the entire record is what makes it special. Album closer, ‘Enemy’ pummels like Royal Blood on steroids bringing the record to a fitting crescendo.
‘The Fallout’ is a great way to begin the year of new music; and with a tour on the horizon, you’ll be excited to hear THE HARA play these songs live.
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Watch Episode 70 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guests The Hara
