When indie rock ruled the British airwaves in the 1990s, there was a middle class of bands that flourished in the jet stream of the major-label juggernauts. Longpigs, Sleeper and Echobelly never scored a big hit, but they honed and deployed a genuinely independent sound that was freshly parochial and grungily hip. It was a vibrant cottage industry, and there were some seriously good bands operating under its umbrella.
Menace Beach might be the best revivalists of the sound yet. Formed in Leeds and led by dual vocalists Liza Violet and Ryan Needham, their 2015 debut, ‘Ratworld’, presented a grimy surf-punk aesthetic that channelled Northern wit and slacker fuzz guitars. It was an Alan Bennett meets Alvvays kind of thing.
Their new offering, ‘Lemon Memory', takes its name from an attempt “to lift a citrus-based curse Ryan and Liza believe was placed on their house, via the hexbreaking power of music.”
It's a record of cogency, grimy charm and idiosyncratic enthusiasm. Additionally, the alternating vocals give it versatility in a sub-genre that rejects complexity in favour of more primal, punk arrangements.
Furthermore, there are some real pop treats here. Tracks like Suck it Out, Give Blood and lead single Maybe We’ll Drown are quality indie bangers, while Owl and Hexbreaker II present Violet's ethereal vocals alongside loud Coxonesque guitar stylings with deft togetherness.
However, the album also has big problems. Darlatoid may well be an ear-worm but it finds itself on the wrong side of irritating, while Watch Me Boil is a good example of a song whose simplistic production renders the result straight-up boring. So the integrity Menace Beach retain by sticking to the primitive surf-punk aesthetic directly undermines the quality of the record.
All of which is a bit of a shame, really. Menace Beach are a tremendously exciting prospect, and one which may well be catapulted forward by the aforementioned indie bangers, but the album itself is a little loose-limbed. Good can sometimes be the enemy of great.
Menace Beach Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue January 31 2017 - SHEFFIELD Picture House Social
Wed February 01 2017 - LEICESTER Cookie
Thu February 02 2017 - BIRMINGHAM Hare And Hounds
Fri February 03 2017 - CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach
Sat February 04 2017 - SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
Mon February 06 2017 - OXFORD Bullingdon, The
Tue February 07 2017 - BRIGHTON Hope & Ruin
Wed February 08 2017 - LONDON Moth Club
Thu February 09 2017 - CAMBRIDGE Portland Arms
Fri February 10 2017 - LIVERPOOL Magnet
Sat February 11 2017 - MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
Tue February 14 2017 - GLASGOW Broadcast
Wed February 15 2017 - EDINBURGH Sneaky Pete's
Thu February 16 2017 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Cluny
Fri February 17 2017 - LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
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