Scruff of the Neck Presents ... - 20160222
- Written by Dave Beech
For your entertainment at the start of another working week here's five more hand-picked delights from the Scruff Of The Neck stable.
Rinse – 'Not Too Late'
Jangles aplenty from Stoke's Rinse, a band who straddle the line between melody and discord excellently. Barely a week old, latest single 'Not Too late' sees the band leaning more towards the former; suitably swimmy and even at times optimistic, it isn't until the conclusion that the more dissonant side rears its ugly head, cementing the track as one of this year's stand out singles and Rinse as ones to keep an eye on.
Uncomely – 'Silly Faces'
Another week, another grunge band from Leeds, there's something in that city's water. Uncomely however, are bringing something a little different to the table. Blending together snarling blues with a punk attitude, all wrapped up in the DIY production that's come to be synonymous with the city. 'Silly Faces' is the lead single from the band's most recent EP, and is four minutes of swaggering blues-fuelled alt-rock. Excellent.
LIINES – 'Never There'
Having already earned comparisons to the likes of PINS and Sleater Kinney, Manchester's LIINES are showing no sign of slowing down. The band's latest single 'Never There' was John Kennedy’s X-Posure 'Single of the Week' and it's easy to see why. Three-minutes of blistering post-punk, that much like the band themselves, offers little in the way of compromise, LIINES make a noise worth getting excited about.
The Wrong Girl – 'This Town'
Arguably the most melodic band on offer this week, Sheffield's The Wrong Girl craft no-nonsense indie pop that jangles along with the best of them. With just 'This Town' on offer at the moment, The Wrong Girl are somewhat of an enigma, but with new material promised soon, it won't be long before we know a lot more about them.
All Hail Hyena – 'A Strangers' Song'
Fusing together post-punk, indie pop, math-rock and almost any other double-barrelled pigeon-hole you can think of, Burnley's All Hail Hyena are a band for whom convention matters little. Latest track 'A Strangers' Song' sees off-kilter time signatures incorporated in to a jerky, stop-start composition that rattles towards its conclusion with a melodic, albeit it somewhat reckless, abandon.