Damn Vandals are, according to the press that accompanies them, the new great hope of British music, an impossible bastion of magnificence that has re-ignited our love of straight up rock.
An amalgam of Cave-ish lyricism and delivery, bolstered by the explosive, snaking vocals of the improbably named Jack Kansas, this is highly likeable stuff. Watching the intriguing video for this single casts the band in a loveable light, featuring as it does the bands album launch party, wherein punters could win a golden BMX hand-disassembled and sprayed by the band themselves.
Reminiscent of Coffee & TV by Blur, the drumming on ‘This Amazing’ is robust and musical, the guitars well measured and organic. Lyrically this is pleasingly abstract, metered out with a rare confidence, and the kind of subtlety in the vocal control that makes their live performances that bit more believable than the usual open-mouthed, vacant v-neck t-shirt brigade.
Companion track Trouble With Jesus is a wonderfully British take on desert rock, vocals anointed with rockabilly reverb. A latent juxtaposition of escalating guitars and fuzzed-out bass breaks teamed with a relaxed feel gives the track a charming cadence. A great sound and, as Soundcloud marches on to the next track, the feeling grows that their gleaming press is not unfair.
Great sounds from a believable, human band on their way to doing good things.
One to watch for sure-look for their material on recent album Done For Desire, and check the video here: