Artist: The Family Rain
Release: Under The Volcano
Release Date: 03/02/14
It’s been a while since the 2008 supreme reign of all things indie, and since then things on the scene have slowed down a tad, indie fans seem to be relaxing to the likes of London Grammar rather than rocking out to Vampire Weekend. Queue The Family Rain. A British trio with a whole lot of foot stomping, guitar clanging love to give with their debut offering: Under The Volcano.
First track Carnival throws us straight in at the indie deep end, with a simple riff and vocals similar to that of the Gallagher brothers, there is something very happy go lucky about the opener, yet it is undercut with a sense of lyrical scorn. ‘Trust Me… I’m A Genius’ throws some sombre keys into the mix, before launching head first into the giant stadium rock anthem that it soon becomes. The latest single from the album ‘Feel Better (FRANK)’ falls a little short of interesting, a real let down compared to the other stand out tracks on the album.
If there is one thing tugging at our mind strings whilst listening to ‘Under The Volcano’, it is the uncanny resemblance to Kasabian that sneaks into every track. Everything from the vocals to the thudding drum beats just screams Sergio and the gang, and it’s something that we just can’t move past. What is the point of putting out an album that is a doppelganger of another? We don’t think there is any.
Towards the middle of ‘Under The Volcano’, the tracks start to slide into the melancholy oblivion, which is ever present on ‘Don’t Waste Your Time’. Cheer up lads! ‘Reasons To Die’ has a predominate bass riff that oozes rawness and proves that barely any production can be the best kind of production. Real tracks being played by real musicians, just how we like it. We come to a somewhat anti climatic end with final piece ‘All The Best’, a swinging 60’s style number that just doesn’t get us in the swinging mood.
‘Under The Volcano’ is a valiant and solid debut from The Family Rain. There is no doubt that talent is present, however we feel they need a little push out of the Kasabian camp and into their own. There’s potential, we’re sure of it, and we hope (and we’re sure it will with Universal backing them) that bigger and better things come to the boys.
5/10
Reviewer: Faye Ducker
