I was under the impression that Nath McLean was one guy but it turns out to be a duo from London. The band recently released Batteries which is an eleven-song album. They mention “Batteries sounds like a journey back to the days of ’90s radio pop-rock with a spoonful of grunge for good measure (yes, grunge!). Drawing strength from inspirations such as REM, Pearl Jam, Springsteen and Buffalo Tom.” I agree with the ’90s part as I was alive and well in that decade listening to music all day long. One thing I would add is that the band does flirt with more elements of punk. The genres are fairly varied from song to song but the ’90s aesthetic does seem to maintain throughout the album.
They get moving with “I Am Julian” which is one of the more grunge based songs. The song is full of heavy riffs and catchy melodies. One thing I did notice is that the verse did sound a bit more grunge than the chorus. I was impressed with the delivery and felt this was a great way to start the album. “Too Much Communication” is under two-minutes long and I would argue this song has more in common with ’70s punk in the spirit of the Sex Pistols, The Ramones and Minutemen. It’s a killer song. I loved the vocals and blaring guitar solo. The band mentions R.E.M and I would say “Old Advice” was the first song that felt heavily aligned with them. This song is pure ’90s, especially that chorus. The song would have been on heavy rotation in MTV back in the day. They have more success with “Five Letter Word” which is a fun song and also a very single worthy tune. There’s a hint of Americana here especially on the chorus. They hit on a very well done emotive ballad with “Plenty” while “Stealing Life” has this unique blend of grunge and felt like there was some southern rock in there as well. The grunge continues but more in the spirit of Pearl Jam with “And Now For Something Sinister.” I loved the energized flavor of “You Only Die Twice” which again hits upon some Americana flavor. The album moves forward with “Ghost In My Room” and the dance worthy “Line Your Pockets” which has some elements of post-punk and a wonderful syncopated energy. They close with the title track “Batteries” and the vocalist does sound a bit like Eddie Vedder on this song. As a fan of ’90s music I can say this is a very good album. It’s nostalgic and leans on those influences while still forming a signature sound. The band apparently did all the production and engineering DIY which sounds quite good, so more kudos there. There’s a lot to appreciate here. Take a listen.
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2 Comments
Mikey
12/3/2022 01:01:09 am
Thank you Pitch Perfect for the review! Much love from London.
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Ed “Aero” Fierro
12/3/2022 09:24:32 am
This band needs a record deal ASAP!!! Rock is back baby!!! Love this!
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