Demos

Moody Gowns - Sincerely Yours

Owain Paciuszko 20/02/2011

Rating: 4/5

Arch pop from Leeds quintet opens with Topman which combines The Specials-like pseudo-ska arrangments with a flavour of Tim Ten Yen's peculiar lyrical sensibilities. The track is a stop-start affair, buoyed by its off kilter arrangment and backing vocals that are oddly reminiscent of the guy from Aqua. It's a fun, silly tune that sets the bar for the rest of the ep.

A Great British Holiday is a lively up-beat tune like Steve Harley taking the reins of Misty's Big Adventure, a wry comment on the inherent drizzly misery of - obviously - holidaying within the British Isles. But it's spritely, joyful in its cynicism and as sweet as a confection as seaside ice-cream. Things take a somewhat slower bent on I Wish That We Weren't Mammals, Seb Forrest and Sean McShee's guitars are particularly dreamy and singer Nathan Moseley's keys bring a nice whirly style to the titular refrain.

Closing track Now I See What's Wrong With School is a dippy fleet-footed Madness-like tune, that builds deliriously in tempo towards the end and practically demands skanking wherever you may be! It sums up the band and this ep nicely as something unashamedly fun, but with enough smarts to give it some substance.