While we all enjoy a wallow in someone else’s misery from time to time – hence the enduring popularity of Radiohead – there’s a lot to be said for letting oneself go and just smiling ‘til yr stupid giddy with delight.
Enter Favours For Sailors, a London four-piece who’ve been on and off the domestic live circuit for a couple of years but, until now, haven’t had a ‘proper’ release to their name. Credit to Tough Love for recognising their great potential and facilitating the distribution into A Store Near You of ‘Furious Sons’, a six-track introduction to an act that could, quite possibly, be soundtracking your next few summers.
Assuming you’re a fan of acts like Weezer, Pavement and The Cribs that is, as F4S echo these acts’ material in theirs, without ever falling foul of imitation. Breezy, accessible indie-rock executed with a wink and a nudge, full of sing-along choruses, ‘Furious Sons’ is an incredibly accomplished debut that bulges with genuine promise, and displays commercial potential enough to suggest its makers could mirror the successes of the aforementioned touchstones.
‘I Dreamt That I Dreamt The You Loved Me In Your Dreams’ might feature a mouthful of a title, but the track’s the kind of wonderful, Franz-without-the-wankery escapist indie-popper that should have radio stations nationwide wondering why they never clocked this band before. (Simple answer: this is their first offering. You’re forgiven.) Vocals exude the classic US indie slacker vibe of so many Domino imports of the 90s, but sprightly instrumental action ensures that energy flows rampant across all six efforts.
‘Our Name’ is something of a calling card track, featuring as it does lyrics wrapped around a chant of their own name; it’s not the brooding beast of ‘Grinderman’ nor the sweetly enchanting ‘Those Dancing Days’, but somewhere between the two – immediate yet itchy with prickly guitar lines and insistent percussion. ‘Shy Times’ takes the foot off the gas to an extent to glide the EP home with laid-back grooves best suited to dusk-fall back yard boozing – expect it to have your barbeque tasting all the better come June or July.
Produced with plenty of charm, and clearly the work of superbly talented individuals despite its deceptively simple aesthetic, ‘Furious Sons’ should serve as a wonderful foundation from which to build a decent (stab at having a) career in a business where pop’s purity is often diluted by style-over-substance selling points. F4S need no frills to dress their wares in – these songs sell themselves quite brilliantly.
