Eagulls - Eagulls

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 8 / 4 / 2014

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I am genuinely excited to be write about Eagulls and their self- titled debut album, having had them recommended to me by a friend around about a year ago. I had a good listen to some of their EPs online. I enjoyed them and idly listened to them from time to time as the songs grew on me. A good handful of these tunes have made it onto the album. In late November I had the pleasure of seeing them live, and I was certain then that I was watching a truly significant and important band. Since that gig I have been eagerly awaiting their first album, and the album does not disappoint. It follows through on all the promise that I felt after seeing them live. I have read a few different reviews and also comments made by people about the album, and there are many people saying that it's “nothing new” and in a way they're right. There are unavoidable comparisons to the Cure and Joy Division (particularly the hypnotic and unhinged delivery by singer George Mitchell), but what Eagulls are doing is their own. They've not so much reinvented the wheel but they have made music important again. 'Nerve Endings' starts the album off, and you would be hard pushed to find a better opening song. It's loud, fierce and intense from the moment guitarist Mark 'Goldy' Goldsworthy’d distinctive and unnerving wave of noise begins the proceedings before the rest of the band join in with a relentless chugging that could wake the dead. It oozes that sneering attitude with which the band have been building their reputation on. It is followed by 'Hollow Visions' ,which sees bassist Tom Kelly competing for the most intense and relentless bass playing of the year. Things lighten up somewhat with 'Yellow Eyes' and 'Tough Luck' which show the bands 'shoegaze' side, but still not for one second letting up on the intensity. Drenched in that trademark distortion and pounding drums, there are real moments of beauty that will only benefit those who 'get' what Eagulls are doing. It's this mixture which makes them such an exciting prospect. They are a truly alternative band, and I do believe this self-titled album is this generation’s version of ‘The Stone Roses' or 'Nevermind' or 'Closer'. There is far too much distortion and attitude spat out throughout for the radio listening public to cope with at the moment, which is in this era of radio friendly punk/rock etc. is really exciting. Constantly billed as “post-punk”, Eagulls are the most "punk" band I've heard in a long time. They are above all the bullshit so many bands are about these days, and they're not afraid to call anyone out on it. 'Foot Steps' being the perfect example of this. This attitude shines through all the way through this album and is wonderfully encapsulated in the final song 'Soulless Youth', which is perfect in every way as Mitchell ends the album bellowing out the titular line in a 'Cobain-esque' style that simultaneously sneers at and gives voice to the youth. 'Possessed' is an anthem in waiting. It's the voice of a generation that on the surface have everything but are growing increasingly aware of the emptiness of it all. I cannot understate how important I think Eagulls are. I consider them one of the finest British bands since Joy Division, and I honestly believe they will be as influential in years to come.

Track Listing:-

1 Nerve Endings
2 Hollow Visions
3 Yellow Eyes
4 Tough Luck
5 Amber Veins
6 Possessed
7 Footsteps
8 Fester / Blister
9 Opaque
10 Soulless Youth

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/eagullsuk
http://www.eagulls.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/eagulls

Label Links:-

https://www.youtube.com/user/partisanrecords
https://instagram.com/partisanrecords/
https://twitter.com/partisanrecords
http://www.partisanrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/partisanrecords

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