As the year grinds to a halt, it’s difficult to remember a world without Male Bonding. This incredible debut album had British guitar music kicking, screaming, crowd surfing and then passing out in a heap throughout 2010. ‘Nothing Hurts’ is a toxic mix of sharp, spiky guitars, rattling percussion and rasping vocal harmonies, lurching from US cornerstones (Nirvana, Beach Boys), to old-fashioned British introspection (Ride, Blur).
Male Bonding soon became ubiquitous with 2010’s ever-expanding crop of lo-fi bands, all grittiness and rough edges, but bassist Kevin Hendrick put the term in perspective. “I see lo-fi as a description of sound in terms of production rather than a label or stigma,” he told us. The album sees their grainy musical aesthetic layered with TLC; equally brutal and fragile, each track is beautifully intricate. Harking back to decades past, ‘Nothing Hurts’ flows like a classic, moods shift from breakneck abandon on ‘Year’s Not Long,’ to love struck no-gaze on ‘Weird Feelings’. According to Hendrick, this attention to detail was intentional, “We went to New York and recorded in a studio with a big desk and huge tape reels. That’s not very lo-fidelity,” he said.
Having made a huge dent in our record collections, Male Bonding set about redefining London’s music scene with sweat and gaffer tape, blazing a trail that left fans dazzled and critics drooling. “DIY is just the way we do things,” Hendrick summed up. Addictive and irresistibly loud, ‘Nothing Hurts’ proves that, however they do it, it works.
Did You Know? In contrast to their infectious racket, bassist Kevin Hendrick’s favourite songs are all ballads.
Read Clash’s Ones To Watch feature on Male Bonding HERE.
View Male Bonding’s tour gallery for ClashMusic.com HERE.
Read a live review of Male Bonding HERE.
