Album review: Beyond Never (2019)

27/08/2019

By The Rocker

First things first. They may be from just doon the road (for it is a they) but drummer Graeme Hamilton is nae relation. Unless he’s fae Polbeth, in which case he probably is.

So, yes, they’re based in Embra. And despite the singer being called Jeanice Lee, they insist that they are A Band. So there.

Still I need to be careful. I don’t want anyone setting fire to me. Again. Fortunately they’re pretty good at what they do. It’s fairly mainstream modern rock. Note that’s rock, not rawk. And for a band who only finalised their lineup last year they sound like well seasoned pros. So it’s their debut album, there’s lots of indie-ish moments but sometimes they do crank things up and that’s when my aged rawk ears perk up. I really liked ‘Freefall’, for example, which has a cracking wee riff. Now I’m not going to deny that Jeanice Lee (the singer not the band) has a very distinctive voice. She does. So gird yersel. It’s quite declamatory and (whisper it) musical theatre. They do a lot of moody but the moody they do do is good moody.

But it suits the words which all seem to be alluding to the fact that things in the world are a bit shit. I’m auld so I reckon there’s always a new low just round the corner. Musically, guitarist Marco Morelli is very impressive from beginning to end. That’s not to decry the bass player but as his one word name seems to indicate a man on the run, least said.

It is an excellent debut, well produced and presented. One to investigate.

http://www.the-rocker.co.uk/