Album Review :: TOWNS - Get By

TOWNS

Get By

June 2 2014 (Howling Owl Records)

8/10

Words: Leanne Crowley

This is Bristol-based TOWNS' debut album, recorded and mastered with the help of friends and label-mates Dom Mitchison (Velcro Hooks), Hugo Bishop and Oliver Wilde. Also featured are appearances from Robin Stewart (The Naturals) and Richard Clarke (Scarlett Rascal).

Opener ‘Get Me There' starts with a long - and loud - instrumental, the guitar riff driving the song before the smooth vocals join in after a minute or so, in a style reminiscent of The Charlatans.  ‘Marbles', the live fan favourite, is no less brilliantly executed in the recorded version. With a strong Britpop vibe, the vocals of James MacLucas are entrancing once more, accompanied by screeching guitars and a persistent bass line, the track is overall musically diverse.

‘Trip Over' opens on a swirling intensity, so much so that the listener is left feeling as though they are bobbing along persistently as the record proceeds. The band's live performance, as those who have witnessed it can vouch for, is driven by energy and this is certainly on tracks such as ‘Gone Are The Days', which offers a minor edge to the effected guitar of John Paul Beaumont. The track slows and the elements are faded out to leave just a tapped drum section before building once more to the end.

‘Just Everything' displays a layered vocal, nice sentiment to the lyrics, and a refreshing approach in that the guitar placement in the background of the track is persistent and insistent - without being the central focus. All elements work well together musically before coming to a sudden end, fading away with an interesting guitar effect.

There's an almost Stone Roses mellow ambience to ‘Too Tired', with its interesting guitar effects and the drums of Miles Hastings biting hard; while ‘Young At Heart' is loud from the offset, the vocals are added and the track proceeds with an undoubted upbeat feel. The use of two guitars is prevalent as you can hear two distinct guitar sounds simultaneously, add the fast drumming throughout and the bass line of Adam Hastings offers the final element to the mix.

‘Heads Off' shows the band at their finest, with a smooth bass line and swooning vocal interlude. ‘Mirror Ghost',  previously featured on the 'Sleepwalker' EP, has a different feel about it, partly abetted by the change of guitar sound with a more extensive use of the warble. The vibe is dreamy, especially in the middle section where the vocals fade and the music takes over.

Penultimate track ‘Everyone's Out' is back to Britpop vocals which are almost breathed into the microphone. The longest track on the album, the instrumental section has a repeating riff with added tambourine before the chanted vocals return and the drum bite returns as the tempo races. This track gives the band a chance to jam and show off their musical ability at the same time.

A strong debut offering, the building intensity of the album is powerful and the combination and placement of tracks works well to display the band's musical ability to the finest effect.