Single Review :: Allusondrugs - Nervous

Allusondrugs

Nervous

April 28 2014 (Clue Records)

9/10

Words: Dave Beech

Given that they come from Leeds, it's easy to see how Allusondrugs got their name. Indeed, at times the band sound very much as their name suggests; but whilst the burgeoning student population of their hometown settles into their Saturday night mephedrone binges and Sunday morning K-holes, Allusondrugs opted instead to ply their trade and hone their sound and whilst we're almost positive there's some degree of expanded consciousness at play, their music says far more about the band than their personal choice of evening consumables.

Whether it's an EP, or whether it's a single ultimately falls to the individual here, and nitpicking aside, it's not really important anyway. What is, is the blistering delivery of the two tracks (and a demo) on offer. Side A – 'Nervous' – straddles the boundaries of grunge and indie; huge riffs juxtaposed against an emotionally fragile vocal, like Silverchair flecked with the tiniest amount of Radiohead.

B-side 'Handicapped', however, is where the band's grunge roots really come in to play. Momentous chugging riffs collapse into a fraught Deftones-influenced chorus: an understated Eastern vibe bringing slight aspects of psychedelia in to the fray. It's heavy, and it's easy to imagine the floor of venues such as The Cockpit, or the ill-fated Well, exploding into a plaid-clad mosh-pit.

Whilst the inclusion of demos and remixes on a single is usually irksome, adding nothing to the overall vibe of a record, the acoustic demo of 'Nervous' is a welcome inclusion here and shows a much softer side to the band than its plugged-in counterpart. If one can overlook the lo-fi nature of the track (it is a demo after all), then they'll find an interesting step in the songwriting process that doesn't quite impress as much as previous two tracks, but is still listenable all the same.

It seems Leeds is shaping up to be 2014's Birmingham, only the tropical jangles have instead been replaced by weighty stoner rock, industrious post-punk and good old fashioned grunge riffs. And whilst we might all be celebrating the anniversary of Britpop - the annual Oasis reunion rumours having extra vigour this year - it seems 20 years on from the death of Kurt Cobain that the sound he became synonymous with might also enjoy a resurgence. There are probably many people who will argue that grunge never really went away, but with the Smashing Pumpkins disappearing somewhere inside Billy Corgan's arsehole, Silverchair falling off the face of the earth and Soundgarden doing very little as well, there needs to be a new host of bands to pass the torch to. Allusondrugs could very well be the band to spearhead a revival.