In late 2019, a brand new, fully-formed voice arrived into the ranks of UK post-punk. Do Nothing’s ‘LeBron James’ was a bolt from the blue, a single with such a swinging, serrated edge and wry standpoint that stardom appeared a lock. It was, nevertheless, adopted by a interval of silence, a time by which the Nottingham band opted to take a break to refocus. After what was, of their phrases, “a artistic stutter”, they now return with their debut album ‘Snake Sideways’, presenting a newly introspective model of themselves.
The delicate shifts are on rapid show on album opener ‘Nerve’, the place the Nottingham band’s sharp electrical shards have been softened, now dappled with strains of Kasper Sandstrom’s acoustic guitar. “They’re gonna fireplace you within the morning / Why don’t you end what you began?” sings frontman Chris Bailey, articulating a way of insecurity and self-doubt.
Lead single ‘Completely satisfied Ft’ bears the band’s authentic calling card, with angular, danceable riffs and infrequently hilarious lyrical quirks that by some means discover connections between grind-excluding mouth guards and ingesting bleach. On the identical time, the observe is a collage of disaffection: “Don’t freak out in case you don’t know what you’re doing / I don’t both,” Bailey indicators off, earnestly.
‘Amoeba’ boasts the album’s most distinctive earworm within the type of its warped guitar riff, and once more, Bailey is on contemplative kind. “We’re all simply ready round / So that you can get up and allow us to all down,” he sings; the observe’s enigmatic allure proves that Bailey will not be the one member of the group that deserves to be in comparison with The Fall.
There are indicators of musical evolution to the band’s sound now, such because the disconcerting line of static that hisses via ‘Snake Sideways’, or the mattress of digital manufacturing that underpins ‘Fantastic’. The harpsichord flourish in ‘Hollywood Be taught’ is one other enhancement that means richer rewards sooner or later in the event that they proceed to observe their instincts.
The freshness that electrified ‘LeBron James’, although, is now not so apparent, with its striding conviction now considerably smoothed over. It stays to be seen whether or not Do Nothing can use the strong foundations of ‘Snake Sideways’ as a launching pad to ascend to the giddy heights of their preliminary promise.
Particulars
- Launch date: June 30
- Report label: The Orchard
