JAWS, The Ceiling - album review
Birmingham's JAWS are back, and they've added some real shark-bite to their sound for their third record The Ceiling.
They've been described as dream-pop pretty much everywhere. But following this we can add aggy indie rock to that repertoire as well.
Imagine Foals having gotten up on completely the wrong side of bed today and are throwing right hooks. That's the level of ferocity this trio have added to this album.
READ MORE: JAWS, O2 Institute Birmingham - review
We really liked JAWS before, but this is even better.
Opener Driving At Night - their first single off of this out last year - encapsulates that. Its agitated guitar melody is delightful, and the ferocious-yet-technical drumming from Eddy Geach as the track progresses builds the excitement for what is to come.
And you really can't look past their latest single Do You Remember? That grit-filled guitar intro has early 90s Manics ringing through it, and the pace kept up throughout the choruses barely lets up. This will be a stomper live.
The difference between these two songs and the hope-tinged opening track to 2016 album Simplicity - Just A Boy - is astonishing.
It's like JAWS have somewhere along the line discovered how s*** life really can be. They've kept that uplifting veneer that made the first two albums so popular. But they've added this undercurrent of injustice and anger that gives each track an added sting in the tail.
The latter stages of Please Be Kind follow this pattern too. This song is almost JAWS' sound progression in one track. Starting with the airier synthy delights we associate them with it builds to a face-slapping crescendo that explodes with a vast wall of sound that, if it were a wave, would scare even the hardiest of sea captains.
READ MORE: JAWS, Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton - review
We do hear some of the JAWS we know and love from previous records too. End of The World carries that slowed-down swagger that touches upon the Britpop era. Connor Schofield holds sway with his almost spoken, almost spat out vocal style. And that guitar slam later on is magnificent.
It would have been simple for JAWS to just recreate the magic of Simplicity. We're delighted they haven't. They deserve bigger mainstream success, and if this doesn't bring it for them, what more do they need to do?
Rating: 9/10
JAWS will be performing in their hometown of Birmingham at the O2 Institute on April 27
