Northern Faces “S/T”

Northern Faces are yet another great band out of the mecca known as New York. Their own bio describes there forming as “It all started after a few too many drinks and an exchange of words that should never have happened” which is surely how many a great band has come together.

The album opens with the right balance of crunch and pop with “Cops Come” which also has the necessary dash of youthful rebellion. Though things really get interesting with “Wait Wait Wait” which adds an almost eighties electro pop sound in to the mix. Along with songs like “Alone and Forgotten” and “Leave Home” they bring to mind the sadly forgotten Virgins (although maybe that’s just because we’re due to review their front man’s new release!). They have a pop sensibility to them which off sets the overall laid back catchiness that the sound has.

Behind the pleasant melodies, songs like “Back And At It” and “Don’t Care” have a grit and sense of agitation to them which gives them an added edge. Whilst “Stay Away” couples this with a darker feel and a blusier riff. One thing that is for sure, is that tracks like “Get Out The Way” have the potential to be big commercial hits. A point rammed home by final song “Brother (Into The Mix)” which could easily be heard echoing across a festival field on a hot summer’s day.

So many bands are built up on the basis of a lot of press exposure and hype only to be found out when they release an album, that ends up only having a couple of decent tracks on it. There can be no allegations of that here, where Northern Faces have created an album of varied and appealing tracks. Granted, with the right exposure, they could be big hits but for now it’s great to sit back and listen to a release which is a damn fine collection of indie songs.