The Jackets “Queen Of The Pill”

Switzerland may not seem like the most obvious home for a garage rock band. But Swiss band The Jackets are doing their best to prove that this sound doesn’t have to originate from the U.S. Now on to their fourth release, they remain determined to delight us with their soul influenced rock sound.

And there can be no doubts that The Jackets have really nailed the ‘garage rock’ sound. Tracks like “Dreamer” and “Move On” perfectly blend a fifties soul feel with a hard rocking style. A song like “What About You” manages to be both aggressive but also alarmingly charming. Numbers like “Queen Of The Pill” and “Loser’s Lullaby” show that the band aren’t planning on taking any passengers with this album.

There’s also an enviable ‘coolness’ to the band’s sound. Maybe that’s why when we hear the swaggering “Steam Queen” we can’t get the name Steve McQueen out of our head! That infectious feel is kept going with the fifties chic of “Don’t Leave Me Alone”. Even when they tone down the sound on “Floating Alice”, there is still an undercurrent of danger to the band. It’s no wonder a track like “Be Myself” leaves us with images of dark alleys, leather jackets and switch blades!

It’s great to have a band delivering dark rock n roll. The Jackets are as cool as hell and this album just makes you want to join their gang.