Source: Album Artwork
Exeter-born newcomers Witterquick are the latest addition to Manchester-based indie label LAB Records. The band—who supported Nothing But Thieves’ sold out UK tour last year—recently unveiled their debut EP Beneath The Spinning Lights on June 17th. The EP is a great introduction to the highly polished, melodic take on rock that has already earned the band a huge amount of success. Witterquick is another in the pool of promising new UK-based mavericks.
“We want something real. We want something that means something” front man Will Alford expressed of the band’s aims, “We want every song we write to be our favourite song, and so far we’re nailing it.” This confidence translates to Witterquick’s music seamlessly; Alford bellows “I won’t abandon us” in the bold EP opener ‘Soldiers’.
It was Witterquick’s self-release of ‘Soldiers’ that initially gained the band exposure, and listening to an updated cut, it isn’t difficult to understand why. The band has carefully constructed their instrumentation to compliment Alford’s clean vocals and composed a sound comparable to the likes of Moose Blood, Don Broco, and Young Guns.
This smooth, flawless sound continues throughout the EP, illuminating some poetic lyric constructs. Slow burner ‘Rise’ is a great example of the band’s talent for lyrics: “You try to hide beneath the spinning lights and I will give it one more try, but you just want to rise”. Alongside the outro of ‘Soldiers’—“I sat alone and watched the lights, but I never wanted to touch them, so I lived a lie and I dreamed a life”— it’s clear that Witterquick put a great deal of thought into the message of their band, and want to create something with substance.
There’s no hiding that Beneath The Spinning Lights has a stand out track. ‘Wayward Signs’ is the EP’s slowest track, emanating a darker and much lonelier sound. Witterquick’s use of piano and melodies is incredibly powerful combined again with compelling lyrics: “All of those things you have seen are guarding the doors, they won’t let you inside. So turn back from the tide, and light the fires to the wayward signs.” The track is heart wrenching and anthemic; ‘Wayward Signs’ is reminiscent of early-era Mayday Parade.
Witterquick has presented a strong case for success with Beneath The Spinning Lights. ‘Rise’, ‘Wayward Signs’, and ‘The Road’ all exude an edge that makes weaker tracks like ‘Fade Out’ easy to ignore. All in all, Beneath The Spinning Lights easily falls into a genre without being a carbon copy of the older generation. Witterquick’s debut is incredibly exciting for the future of UK rock.
