Taffy are back, and they're gunning hard for a spot on your summer playlist. Their second full-length, 'Lixiviate', comes on like a fuzzed-up Britpop revival meeting, picking up where their playful debut 'Caramel Sunset' left off.
The Japanese four-piece have produced a record brimming with short, sweet alt-rock tunes that land somewhere between Echobelly and the Pixies, but beneath the candy coating they are lacking a little bit of substance.
Tumbling, the record's lead-off single, dominates proceedings, and its opening guitar riff immediately recalls a time when Elastica and Kenickie roamed the earth. Frontwoman Iris trades spiky, feedback-infused licks with guitarist Asano before chiming in with a superb, summery chorus. It's a gem of a pop song, but one that lays down a challenge that the rest of the album struggles to overcome.
Upon its initial release, Tumbling was paired with a grungy cover of the Cure's Boys Don't Cry as a double 'A' side single. A former live favourite with the band, their version of Robert Smith's classic is something of a plodding affair on tape.
Admirably, they have eschewed almost every signature of the original in order to craft their own version, but in doing so Taffy also removed much of its charm. Iris's lilting vocals hang over scuzzy guitars, but the cover drops like a stone as the album hits its midway point.
Opener Sweet Violet could have been an off-cut from the Smashing Pumpkins' 'Gish', with a rumbling bass intro prefacing squalling guitars straight out of the Billy Corgan playbook. It's a strong opener, one of the record's grittier pieces, and lays the foundations for a nice one-two with Tumbling and Snowberry. The latter track is another hook-laden alt-rock throwback and forms part of a hugely promising opening salvo.
Unfortunately, the album then sags in the middle under the weight of Boys Don't Cry and When Is Forever, an introspective number that initially recalls 'Maladroit'-era Weezer before regressing into a drone. This flabby waistline slows Taffy's hard-earned momentum terribly, and the bright, breezy closers can't quite recover it.
Dawn Red and Train both drag 'Lixiviate' back onto the right track, and Maple Arts is an album highlight right at the death with a strong chorus and some scattergun drums. Album closer No Endings But Only The Beginnings is charged with pulling the loose threads together and crumbles under the weight, proving to be a slightly unsatisfactory conclusion to a record that promised so much.
Dotted throughout 'Lixiviate' are some of the best indie-rock tunes that you'll hear this year and there's little doubt that Taffy are charming, catchy and ready for big things. They are all set to hit UK shores in July – in part to support the Wedding Present on a couple of dates – and once they've ironed out a couple of creases, expect something special.
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