Album Review :: False Advertising - False Advertising

False Advertising

False Advertising (Self-Release)

September 4 2015

7/10

Words: Dave Beech

Despite murmurings of the band beginning as far back as 2013, Manchester's False Advertising took things slowly. Very slowly. Unlike most bands who strive to record and release almost as soon as they're able, False Advertising built on their insider knowledge of the industry, bouncing ideas back and forth, finely tuning their sound in to something they were happy with, then ripping it up and starting all over again. A painfully drawn out process it may have been, but the result is a debut album of intense slabs of fuzzy grunge, wonky slacker riffs and poppy vocal melodies that somehow manage to never once feel at odds with the overall weight of the record.

It may come as surprise that an album so long in the making feels as loose and as laid back as 'False Advertising' does, and it's completely to the band's credit that nothing here feels overwrought with post-production tinkering. Instead, tracks such as 'Another Mention' and 'Finish Line' drip with a transatlantic, early Queens of the Stone Age vibe, whilst others offer up more of a British take on the grunge scene of the '90s Pacific Northwest. It's in the album's slightly poppier numbers where False Advertising really shine though. The previously released 'Wasting Away', for instance, brings to mind fellow Brits Doe, with Jen Hingley's sugary vocals cutting through the track's perpetual fuzz and clattering percussion excellently. Elsewhere, 'Only Way' manages to incorporate both sides of the band brilliantly; the sludgy guitar lines falling away in to the aforementioned wonky bass riffs effortlessly.

Though the band finished recording the album before they'd even set foot on a stage, holding off until now to release it has allowed them to find footing they otherwise might have missed out on. A string of dates and festival appearances have boosted both their popularity and visibility across Manchester and though their sound isn't wholly original, it's a breath of fresh air when compared to the various blues-driven indie bands that populate the city's dive bars. As such, False Advertising aren't moving mountains, but they are doing more than enough to shake up a scene in danger of stagnating.