On the 5-track The Get Down EP available now through Bandcamp, Scottish quartet TheseFadingPolaroids bring to mind some of the lo-fi work Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins (Think Singles-era especially) may have been doing when they started out. Where TFP differ, though, is in the delivery by guitarist/vocalist Andy Gregory and the overall atmosphere the band create.
While “Keep Your Promises” is a great opener for the EP, it’s not until “A Caved In Mind” begins that listeners truly get a sense of the depth here. Gregory sounds like no other vocalist out today and the harmonies created here will send shivers into your soul. From the moment the song kicks in, guitarist Leo Bargery, bassist Alan MacInnes, and drummer Tom Exton prove to be a formidable musical force collectively. If references are needed then perhaps Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister mixed with the poppier tendencies of Oceansize would be an accurate description. Or better yet, if Mogwai had a vocalist it would sound like TheseFadedPolaroids. But I digress. “Razbliuto” is an acoustic number showcasing how the band can do so much with so little (Instrumentation that is) while “Don’t You Think It’s Time?” is bursting at the seams with excitement and adrenaline.
But don’t let me sway you either way. Listen below and judge for yourself. The Get Down EP is available now. Head over to the TheseFadingPolaroids Bandcamp page to get yours.
Grade: B+