We can all breathe a sigh of relief. 2010 saw the rugged indie rock of Exit Calm coming to the fore in the shape of the self titled album and a couple of singles, Hearts and Minds and Don’t look down, which grazed the consciousness of many, and caused some to fall for their retro – psych-indie. The longer that time went on, you began to fear for the future of Exit Calm. But now they’re back, and back big.
The Rapture, their comeback single as it were, showed the lads were able to bring their sharp Verve-inspired rock right into 2013 with a bang, and now they’ve announced plans for a new album. Titled ‘The future isn’t what it used to be’ its out on the AC30 on September 23rd.
The Barnsley boys (If ever there were a place for a rugged sounding band to come from, eh) Nicky Smith on vocals, Rob Marshall on guitar, Simon Lindley on bass and drummer Scott Pemberton got together in 2006, honing their sound on the live circuit, and describing listing their influences as influential labels Factory, Mo Wax and Creation. Certainly two of those are clearly identifiable in their sound, with their mixture of Madchester/Britpop making for a quite intoxicating mix.
Taken from their forthcoming album, the boys have release a preview track, Fiction. The whole thing is sort of enthused by classic Britpop sound, interweaving guitars mixed with thses funky basslines/drum patterns, and Smith’s somewhat Ian Brown-ish delivery. If this was 1996 it would be a top ten hit. In 2013 it might not be, but it’s damn good. Welcome back.
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