‘Bottle Tops’ is the latest offering from a prodigious musical talent that has been writing, performing, and producing some of the best up-and-coming music to come out of the North West of England for several years.
The song opens with a lone guitar riff, which is joined by accentuated brass, a vibraphone gets in on the act, then the bass gets involved and when the drums kick in … well, we’re off.
“Bottle Tops by TWEM is that rare thing … a song that combines a mellow, laid back groove with a serious amount of edginess”
Part indie guitar, part northern soul, ‘Bottle Tops’ may well appeal to anyone who likes the thoughtful musicality that once made Pulp a household name, and which keeps Alex Turner front and centre. But this is no homage to other artists, and by no means is it typical indie fare. This is a song with its own identity. More infectious than catchy, it didn’t take long for ‘Bottle Tops’ to get under my skin and stay there.
TWEM, aka Thomas Twemlow, plays pretty much all the instruments you’ll hear – drums, guitars, bass, and vocals too. The song’s producer, Scott Ralph, provides brass and vibraphone. TWEM also plays guitar for singer Denise Johnson, whose soaring, soulful vocals you’ll have heard if you’re familiar with Primal Scream’s 1991 album Screamadelica, for example. He also runs a music production company with Iwan Gronow, who plays bass with former Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr.
Currently working with producer Nathan Kirkham on a new series of songs, you’ll find TWEM on Facebook and Soundcloud.
My advice: do your ears a favour and check out his songs, do your soul a favour and pay for them too.
‘Bottle Tops’