During his recent controversial Brit award speech, Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys fame mumbled a few almost incomprehensible lines about rock music and its adherence to the rules of the cyclical nature of the universe. If you try and look far, far, far past his collection of pretentious bullshit statements and try to ignore his obtrusive, phoney American accent, he might actually have a point. When scaled down and put in the context of something far more relatable, it’s true that genres of music do run in cycles. One cohort begins and moves on; whether it is to bigger, better things or a dwindling demise. But soon enough a new wave of similar and perhaps more innovative bands will arrive in the space the others have left.
The band in question, Villains, are part of the latest influx of bands trying to fill the void left on the club circuit by the recent wave of successful British pop-rock bands that have found themselves being promoted to larger venues with bigger audiences; bands such as Young Guns, Deaf Havana and Lower Than Atlantis. Villains’ self-titled debut has almost everything that a band in their position could hope for. It has confidence, hard-hitting riffs and clean, catchy, yet still edgy vocal melodies. These attributes are perfectly demonstrated on the band’s latest singles, ‘Come Out And Play’ and ‘The Fall’, which are currently amassing significant and deserved interest online. The infectious chorus on opening track, ‘The Way I Tell Them’, and the breakdown on stand out, anthem, ‘Bleed’, are proof that Villains have more to offer than their solely internet successes.
But, you can’t help but feel that Villains are a touch late to the game, with contenders for their position in the scene becoming more and more established. The likes of Mallory Knox, Blitz Kids and Don Broco are lapping up support slots with big acts and all manage to remain unique within their shared realm. Each of their debut offerings felt like they each arrived as more fully formed packages. It’s a shame that if Villains had delivered their own eponymous debut a few years earlier, they could have taken advantage of the gap left for them by their predecessors. However, having said that, it might be unfair to judge them by comparison. What Villains have delivered is a solid debut album, which shows great promise and is a concrete foundation on which to carve their own niche within the genre. After a good season of touring and finding their sound, they will be better able to find where they can fit in amongst it all. Villains will soon be able to produce material that better demonstrates what they are truly capable of as a band.
JACK GLASSCOCK