Charlottefield - How Long Are You Staying

  by Mark Rowland

published: 21 / 7 / 2005

Label: Jonson Family
Format: CD

intro

Distinctive hybrid of post-punk and post-rock on first album from Charlottefield,innovative leaders of the pack of Britain's current underground scene

After a series of 7 inch singles and compilation tracks, Charlottefield have finally got round to releasing their debut LP. One of Britain’s best kept secrets, they have been honing their sound since 2002; a distinctively quirky post-punk, post-rock, hardcore hybrid. The band is part of a British underground scene, based mainly in the south, which has been going from strength to strength over the past few years. Labels like Jonson Family and Unlabel are at the centre of the scene and the bands are united in their very British take on American math rock and Discord punk. The eight songs on ‘How Long Are You Staying’ are abstract but tuneful, driven almost exclusively by some great guitar work. Thomas House’s anguished howls are scattered throughout the EP, but never really dominate any of the tracks. Opener ‘Nine Tails’ kicks off with a tense, jerky bassline and House’s screams. Loose, swirling guitars appear a bit further in, subtly raising the song’s tension. ‘A<<>>B’ and ‘Again’ are probably the most direct tracks on the album, with straightforward riffs and more prominent vocals. Elsewhere, tracks range from the textured, discordant ‘Clipper’ to the more melodic instrumental, ‘How Long’. The EP closes with the gloriously noisy ‘Weevils’, a whirl of feedback held together by the rhythm section. This is great introduction to one of Britain’s best underground bands, and the underground scene itself. If you like ‘How Long…’ you’re bound to like bands like Hey Colossus, Stanton, Joeyfat and the late Cat on Form, bands that are bringing something new and innovative to British music.

Track Listing:-