Those Who Knew, the alt-rock 5-piece from Nottingham are about to self release their debut EP New Perspective on 28th April. Describing themselves as having similarities to the ‘Foo Fighters’, ‘Deaf Havana’ and ‘Lower Than Atlantis’, I had quite high expectations; however I was expecting something a bit more ballsy than I got. They share more similarities to The Kooks and The Killers, the kind of music that BBC Introducing would love. Not that this is a bad thing at all, it’s got a very commercial edge, however at the moment there is nothing overly distinctive about their music separating it from the rest.
Losing Touch, the single from the EP is definitely the strongest song, very catchy and hooky with both the guitar lines and vocals, showing variety in their song writing. The cut back bridge adds an extra layer to the song, followed by a nice variation on the chorus. The solo however goes into a half time feel, which seems like a strange move considering the rest of the song isn’t overly upbeat and is a fairly laid back tempo already, so it seems slightly awkward, however the vocals shine through with more range and dynamics around here.
The second song on the EP, Shadow In The Sea, has a more indie vibe, with pulsing guitar lines and catchy chorus vocals showing off Danny’s vocal range and style more. When he puts the effort in and pushes himself, he has a really strong voice and great timbre and tone, however in most of the songs it only seems like there are small sections that he has put this extra feeling and reach into. The build before the chorus drops in towards the end of the song sounds like it about to drop into something heavier, similar to the feedback start to Losing Touch, but then it goes back to indie pop/alt-rock feel, I would have liked to feel some more grit behind it.
Seventeen has very captivating vocals in the chorus, hitting those higher softer notes shows good control and variety. The guitar lines are similar to the rest of their songs though, predictable chord progressions combined with hooky guitar lead parts.
Nothing Left To Lose starts really well; sweeping guitar lines build and then drop back for a respite, letting the vocals cut through to then build back up for the chorus to drop in. The dropped back bridge works insanely well here, however this was then slightly ruined by the key change that follows. Key changes for final chorus are a risky move, when they’re done right, they are amazing. When they aren’t done right or go to the wrong key, its awkward and can potentially ruin a song, and unfortunately this is one of those times. It doesn’t ruin the entire song, but it definitely puts a downer on the ending to what was shaping up to be a very strong track.
With more development, this band could be hitting it big in the indie/alt-rock genre and could have some hits, they aren’t quite there yet but the potential is easy to see. All of their songs are easy to listen to, but I’d like to feel a bit more emotion and grit behind it. I’d be excited to see what their next release is after they’ve settled into themselves more and how their music develops.
Catch their debut single & video here: https://youtu.be/ycPjBVPbp1g