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Sunday, 6 October 2013

#175: The Barmines - There's Never Any Romance (EP review)


In a city musically overshadowed by northern contemporaries such as Manchester and Liverpool, Leeds-based four-piece The Barmines are stirring things up by brandishing their no-nonsense blend of garage rock and rousing indie with a wild and reckless abandon. After a couple of years honing their sound, the quartet, comprised of two sets of brothers (Rob & Liam, Liam & Andy) are set to unleash their début EP There's Never Any Romance on the world.
northern contemporaries such as Manchester and Liverpool, Leeds-based four-piece

At a little under ten minutes long, the four tracks featured are a short, sharp, shock to the senses, and introduces their no frills attitude brilliantly. Kicking off proceedings is 'Feel Good' a scuzzy, gritty track in which guitars wail with a corrosive fuzz amidst singer Rob Burton's signature snarl. It's straight to the point, and grabs listeners instantly, effortlessly drawing one in to the rest of the EP.

Perhaps the most stand out track on There's Never Any Romance comes in the form of third track 'Hey Runner'. Equal parts punk and indie, the track, like the record it's taken from, is brief, yet still manages to pack a significant amount of punch as a buzz saw rhythm guitars form an abrasive and distorted back drop whilst Rob Burton's trademark vocal is effortlessly draped over it. It's straight up dirty rock 'n' roll, and it's appeal lies in it's simplicity. This isn't music that's going to break boundaries, but when it's as honest and as down to earth as this, it really doesn't need to.

Lyrically The Barmines are fairly straightforward too; there's no Shakespearian-esque wordsmithery at play, but that only serves to add to their chosen aesthetic. It's straightforward guttural indie that's made for filling venues with heaving masses of dancing bodies, something The Barmines will undoubtedly achieve with There's Never Any Romance and while some listeners will understandably comment that they've “heard it all before” the fact of the matter is that rarely will they have heard it done to this standard. Each track hits home and hits hard, pummelling listeners with 2 minutes of raw abrasion before moving on to the next slice of distorted and danceable indie, begging the question why haven't this four-piece from Leeds joined the likes of Kasabian or the Arctic Monkeys in the hallowed halls of indie royalty.
 




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