Demos

Horsebox - Come Back

Angus Reid 13/02/2008

Opening with a bass riff that can only be described as cheeky, “Come Back” launches into something that sounds like a strange hybrid of The Smiths, Jamie T, The Jam and every indie dancefloor filler since the dawn of time. I swear I can hear bits of Squeeze in there. The really remarkable thing about this however is that I don't hate it. I want to find the cockney knees-up infuriating, I want to decide the guitars make my blood boil, I especially want to be angered by the “sound of 2008” heavily accented vocals, but the thing is, it all bowls along in such a cheery, genuine fashion that it's impossible. On only the second time of hearing I find myself singing along, despite the fact I've got no idea what the words are.

The fact that the music and the accent are so well aligned merely serves to highlight the contrivance of artists such as Kate Nash with their “Buckinghamshire Estuary” language and oh-so-cool postmodern malaise. Horsebox call to mind a time when Paul Weller was still writing good music, and when 'indie' meant independent. Quite simply, they're fabulous.

Released 11th February