Powerful solo's, energetic choruses and a fine display of facial hair points to only one band... Liverpool Four Piece, Clean Cut Kid who can now lay their name to a blissfully euphoric debut album, Felt. Deceptively happy given some of the heart wrenching lyrics, the album almost seems to tell a story, about lost love and failed relationships. But don’t let that make you think it’s gloomy - you couldn’t be further from the truth. Pick Me Up, We Used To Be In Love and Runaway are ecstatic pop rock songs at it's best and could transformed even the moodiest festival goer into Mick Jagger in no time.
Opening with Vitamin C, a song which is as brilliant recorded as it is live , it sets the tone for an emotionally packed thirty-seven minutes. It all culminates in the fourth song, Stay when the anguished lyric “I couldn’t ever make you stay” is contrasted with one of their characteristically bright guitar solos. The track also proves that sometimes, simple lyrics such as “found your faults, loved you anyway” and “talked and made you hear” can still carry more poignancy than most. Leaving You Behind' and Make Believe also stand out ,filled with melodic guitar and stylized pop hooks that although carrying more of a jaggered feel than your average indie chorus remain as infectious as they get. The band not only offer everything the modern indie lover demands from an album but also an extra element of intrigue with offbeat riffs and almost psychedelic tones on guitar that make it impossible to skip over any track.
The band cite The Beatles and Michael Jackson as strong influences, which can easily be picked up on, but there’s a whole host of others thrown into the mix. Several of the songs are definitely reminiscent of the pure elation felt in The Stone Roses ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ whilst a lot of the guitar reflects songs from The Strokes album ‘Is This It’.
Their explosively energetic sound is undoubtedly best served live , but unlike many artists, they managed to pack all their live energy onto the record whilst still showing off their intricate melodies .
Having played 32 festivals last year, supported Indie legends The Kooks on their UK tour this year and set to play dates across the country over the summer, it’s no surprise that they know how to play a good set. Whether you’ve heard this band once or a hundred times, we can guarantee that you’ll have it stuck in your head for weeks. It’s rare to come across an album where every single track is faultless and which flows so perfectly, but Felt is without a doubt one of those rarities. Keep up to date via Facebook