Dutch Uncles - Dutch Uncles

Fresh-faced Manchester five-piece Dutch Uncles are, most likely, a brand-new name to ClashMusic.com readers. But their playfully fidgety indie-pop, once sampled, is unlikely to be forgotten.

This, their debut album, comes our way courtesy of a German label, but once it does the domestic rounds expect some clever soul or other to take a chance on a collection of splendidly arranged works that twitch and writhe like Foals and their ilk, while also possessing the sort of natural instantaneousness that’s only ever present in the material of the obviously gifted.

The high vocals of Duncan Paton combined with insistently itchy instrumentation gives ‘Dutch Uncles’ an air of The Dismemberment Plan; like the US indie legends, this quintet understands the balance between self-pleasing experimentation within a field and the need to keep arrangements open enough for those with no previous experience to enjoy the addictive rhythms contained herein. So, songs float in on delicate keys before guitars begin to scrap with one another – never with fists, instead exchanging blows from foils of choice, elegant and excellently choreographed.

The album’s myriad twists keep the listener both interested and at an arm’s length, as if these musicians don’t yet want to lay all their cards on the table. ‘Steadycam’ (sic) opens like a Yes record played at double speed, but before long adopts a comparatively typical song structure based around a chant-along chorus and percussion straight out of the post-punk handbook. Of course, nothing is as obvious as it seems though – lyrically, the song offers another parallel with Foals, as Paton’s repeated lines are imaginative without ever appearing straightforwardly everyday. Chances this song is actually about holding a steadycam: slim. Whatever it is about, “It’s not about to change”.

‘Twelfth’ showcases the tender side of the band, as a simple piano line is maintained as all around it a musical maelstrom begins to build; here, vocals are lower than usual in the mix, lending an intimacy not so evident elsewhere. The song’s Dutch Uncles’ ‘So Here We Are’, a jewel of understatement amidst a sea of buffeting crests, absolutely intoxicating in its gorgeousness. But while the fivesome are clearly capable of melting hearts, their preference to get feet dancing instead finds the majority of this album filled with hip-twisting numbers certain to get any party – house, club, basement, whatever – off to a flier. Carpets are sure to get worn through.

‘Face In’, the album’s lead single, is such a track – essentially a decent representation of what its makers are capable of in a neat, nutshell-proportioned package. Jittery guitars that seem intent on duelling ‘til one or the other passes out from the exertion, puzzling lyricism that appears emotive yet doesn’t give the whole game away, and a toe-tapping vibrancy: the whole comes together in a way that renders its pick-apart pieces all as important as each other, with no discernable weakness in the craft taken to achieve such results. Opener ‘Jetson’ is more eager to impress, everything turned up that little bit louder to ram home the point that here’s a band with a singular sound to sell. And that it’s one well worth hearing.

The proggy-toned ‘Doppelganger’ closes proceedings with a squinted peer over yonder horizon towards a future that’s beginning to take on a promising shape. It’s the proverbial icing on a cake already well worth its asking price, delivering a depth of taste unexpected considering the present low profile of its makers. Given enough bites of this cherry, though, you’ll find asking for seconds an absolute must.

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Dutch Uncles play the Clash Saturday Social @ RoTa on March 28 with Animal Kingdom and It Hugs Back. Find details on the free-entry show and watch the video to 'Face In' by clicking HERE.