anonymous mixtapes

Slow Club -Paradise Review

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Sheffield based folk-pop duo Slow Club are back with their second album, Paradise, a follow up to their critically acclaimed debut, Yeah So, released in 2009. Whilst their debut album was an unashamedly jovial affair, their latest offering is a different beast entirely, with a striking blues influence coming to the fore (specifically on single “Where I’m Waking”). 

Sadly, whilst this is an interesting evolution from the boy-girl twee-pop dynamic of their first record, it doesn’t always work and, as a result, the band have lost a lot of what made them such a hot-prospect back in the late 2000’s.

Some tracks work wonderfully, like the aforementioned “Where I’m Waking”, but others, like the dreary “Gold Mountain” and lead single, “Two Cousins”, are treated far more seriously than they possibly should be, with the inclusion of a full band instead of the simple guitar and vocals that suit them best. Ironically, the album’s best song, “Hackney Marsh”, is more in keeping with this idea, with strong vocal work from Rebecca Taylor providing the driving force to a song about the dilemmatic decision of ending a relationship that may or may not be worth sticking with, with the closing bars delivering the poignant refrain, “Could it last?/Could it last?/Could it last?”.

Slow Club may have been better served sticking with this familiar style, but changing their sound was always a risk. Sometimes risks pay off; sometimes they don’t, but you can hardly knock them for trying.

Another Day, Another Year (WASTED) live from last nights show in Cheltenham!

The show was sweet! Mikey stage dives with his guitar halfway through haha.

Thanks to all who came down last night and went mental

Adelaide - Set Sail

Just gonna put this here.