Album Review :: The Family Rain - Under The Volcano

The Family Rain

Under The Volcano

February 3 2014 (Vertigo/Virgin EMI)

8/10

Words: Andrew Major

We last came into contact with The Family Rain at their headline show at London’s Heaven in November last year. At said show the Bath-based brothers certified themselves as superstars in the making with a strong portfolio of stand-alone singles primed for the airwaves and festival stages. We now arrive on the cusp of the bands much anticipated debut album release: ‘Under The Volcano’. The foundations have certainly been laid in the form of a solid touring schedule and the acquisition of a wildly loyal fan base that are as eager as ever to spread of the gospel of The Family Rain.

Ten tracks of straight-up British rock ’n’ roll is on the menu, a familiar starter of galloping guitar and rasping vocals from Will Walter make up ‘Carnival’ while the album really gets moving with ‘Trust Me…I’m a Genius’, a two minute summary of exactly what the band are all about, fuzz, beards and a gigantic sound. Current single ‘Feel Better (FRANK)’ offers a sense of nostalgia with some Supergrass influence creeping in, 100% more fuzz and guitar solos make the very clear division between the two. Album highlight ‘Don’t Waste Your Time’ shows off the bands willingness to meander slightly for their full-frontal assault of the senses, thoughtfully constructed using the formula of less is more, with every instrument playing an integral part in creating this rousing tale of caution, a slow burner but fear not, it gets dirty.

The album gets back to business with standout track ‘Reason To Die’, a colossal sound that inspires the rarely used term ‘tone-henge’. That niggling Kasabian comparison bubbles to the surface with some rather familiar backing vocals perhaps inspired by album producer Jim Abbiss (Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys). ‘Under The Volcano’ is scattered with little gems in-between giant rocks and it has to be said it’s those little gems that make the album come alive as a collection of songs. ‘Binocular’ is one of those gems, a barn-dance foot-stomper from the off, topped off by one of the best chant-able lyrics in recent memory as the band proclaim: “I’m always on watch but never on time”.

‘On My Back’ is the only notable track that seems slightly out of place on the record; the slamming chorus doesn’t quite make up for its overly pedestrian verse. The album closes in typically emphatic style with arguably The Family Rain’s best-known work ‘Pushing It’, the classic heavy blues riff rings in the ears long after the closing bars. One element of modern day rock music that often leaves bands wanting is the lack of quality backing vocals, ‘Under The Volcano’ is packed full of them; it must be in the blood for the Walter brothers with the trio’s voices gelling together perfectly throughout.

‘All The Best’ closes out the record with some grandiose production and more imaginative and sincere lyrical content, another staple of the record. ‘Under The Volcano’ doesn’t provide anything cutting edge or even necessarily original but instead perfectly re-creates a sound that many music fans around the world have been hankering for; good, honest rock ‘n’ roll from three brothers that just want to make as much noise as possible and are inviting you along for the ride.