Sunday, May 6, 2012

New Cassettes Charge Winterhead


The New Cassettes are a British pop band that have just enough post punk edge, indie dance grooves, and power pop punch to make their album Winterhead stand out like a sore thumb. Winterhead is an energetic record that pogos all over the place, jumps into walls, brings down the roof and then gets back up and does it all over again. Energetic to the point of needing medical attention to slow down, The New Cassettes perpetuate their vintage feel and retro-tastic name into something thoroughly modern and propulsive. This is an impressive unit that has tapped into the fine art of brilliant British pop.

Spiky, speedy, and stupendously catchy listening to Winterhead is like listening to Bloc Party, bits of blur, and maybe even the Futureheads all at the same time in complete harmony. Jagged guitars slice and dice riffs at a lightning quick pace while hooks, melodies, and lyrics are miraculously placed over it all with precision. This is a record that's not for the faint of heart or anyone seeking something mellow. The New Cassettes clearly do not have time to waste on being lackadaisical...they have twelve songs to get through and no time to do it in. Thankfully, they manage to do it all with a strong pop sensibility and great songs in tow.

The New Cassettes are a fantastic band and the fact that they are able to play with such potency and vigor while still maintaining a sense of urgency and what makes a strong pop song is impressive. Winterhead is nearly perfect; it's memorable, energetic, and well written and one of my favorite records thus far this year. British pop is alive and well and it's got enough energy to last a lifetime. Nice work guys.

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