EP
The Immediate
Mold
March 3 2017 (Whipcord Records)
6/10
Words: Richard Cobb
Indie power-pop trio The Immediate return with new EP ‘Mold’ after taking a fairly hefty break. In 1997, the band broke up over a heated argument allegedly centering around a mouth organ and The Stereophonics. After nearly 20 years, the North Wales band reassembled last year to begin writing new songs; presumably safe in the knowledge that mouth organs and The Stereophonics weren’t quite the threat to society or themselves that they once were.
Their four-track comeback EP ‘Mold’ leads with the wonderfully guitar driven ‘What’s the matter Kevin Jones?’ The guitar work and lyrics are what really gives this track an edge and it’s clear that the band haven’t lost any of the hunger that they had 20 years ago. ‘Light Dimensions’ and ‘Tremble’ showcase well rounded harmonies and sunny guitar lines, but for me they’re songs that would have been more suited to the 90s and they sadly feel a little dated in comparison to the fresher sounding opener.
Elsewhere, ‘Manbuoy’ sounds like a Radio 2 play that you’d have on in the car on Sunday afternoon with a thoughtful guitar backing track accompaniment. Here the band sound somewhere between John Cooper Clarke and a much more bearable version of Sleaford Mods - with more patience and less Dad issues. Whilst it’s a fairly peculiar arrangement, it’s the standout for me because the track is incredibly honest and a thought-provoking scattering of ideas that stay with you long after the song's conclusion.
I’m fairly split on the EP here as half of it was very enjoyable, it was the middle tracks that held it back. With one or two more like the opener and 'Manbuoy', the EP would have been rated an 8 or 9.
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