Liverpool has a legendary reputation for producing hit bands of both the mainstream and
\nindependent variety, and newcomers the Sugarmen are the docks’ latest export to the British indie
\nscene. Their long-awaited debut album \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffLocal Freaks’, released October 6 th on Sire Records\/Modern
\nSky UK, is peppered with tributes to the city’s musical past, wearing its influences proudly on its
\nsleeve. Just one example of this is the interplay of jangly, feedback washed guitars on \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffOur Gallows’,
\nreminiscent of the swirling neo-psychedelia of bands such as early Echo and the Bunnymen, fellow
\nLiverpool natives. But inspiration is also carved from elsewhere on the musical map – the album’s
\ntitle track builds on the template of the Lou Reed classic \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffWalk on the Wild Side’, thematically at
\nleast, blending New York style street-smarts with a Scouse twang. Its lyrics weave a tale of an
\neclectic cast of characters \u00d4\u00c7\u00f4 drunks, outlaws and deviants occupy the \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffbroken streets’ of the band’s
\nhome city – while a driving rhythm pulsates behind them.
\nWhile these homages could be written off as indie clich\u251c\u00aes, Sugarmen handle it with a deft and
\nrefreshing touch, weaving simple yet thoughtful lyrics with modern and memorable hooks. There are,
\nof course, some tracks which hold less impact than others, and which arguably fall close to
\naccusations of being \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffsafe’ and forgettable due to their slightly repetitive nature. However, it boasts
\na series of standout songs, including the penultimate track \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffRabbit Hole’, which begins somewhat
\ngloomy and post-punkish in its execution, driven by a lingering sense of paranoia in both the lyrics
\n(\u00d4\u00c7\u00ffI’ve tried to keep hold of the things I love, but I keep falling\u00d4\u00c7\u00aa’) and accompaniment; its bassline
\nrumbles ominously and its guitars dance jagged and off-kilter. This is followed by a more rousing call
\nto arms in the form of closer \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffThis is my Life’, which melds choppy new wave guitars and a punchy,
\ndefiant sentiment (\u00d4\u00c7\u00ffNo I won’t get on my bike for a job \/ I’d rather stay in the city that I love’), a
\njuxtaposition which once again displays the album’s obvious plethora of sonic influences.
\n\u00d4\u00c7\u00ffLocal Freaks’ doesn’t try to break into very new and daring musical territory, but still remains
\nvibrant and original in its song writing. It is an instantly likeable album with a distinct lack of
\npretension, and a must listen for any die-hard fan of British guitar bands.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alys Hewitt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Liverpool has a legendary reputation for producing hit bands of both the mainstream and independent variety, and newcomers the Sugarmen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":447,"featured_media":12787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[121,9],"tags":[797,3,3054,557,3561,1140,2368,96,1206,19,154,2676,3562],"class_list":["post-12786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-music","tag-album-review","tag-cardiff","tag-cardiff-student-media","tag-cardiff-university","tag-local-freaks","tag-magazine","tag-music","tag-quench","tag-quench-magazine","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-studentmedia","tag-sugarmen"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n