poppedmusic

Techno

Released 11th September 2015

Words: Gary Lambert

The very first thing that hits me upon listening to the opening title track Techno is that the song sounds very summery without any of the summer song cliches which usually govern releases from May to August. There are no trumpets, overly up tempo verses or summer references crowbarred in, yet the sound is undeniably one of sunshine and good times. With a bit of soft guitar playing and an upbeat bass track it hits the ideal balance for this time of year. The mood is ably assisted by the fun in Sean Breslin’s Irish accent adding an additional pentameter to the song.

Even from this first track of the EP you can understand why The Clameens are so well thought of in their native Ireland. It must be something in the water which enables young people to pick up a guitar and play it right down the tectonic fault line between rock and pop music. For further listening try Ash, The Undertones, Thin Lizzy…

The next track is a touch different but still treading the rock pop line. What’s The Difference starts with a vocal harmony which makes you assume that they are going to attempt at hitting the folk heights of Fleet Foxes. However whilst the vocal continues with the melodic folk of the North American woodlands, the guitar track is all about the sunshine of California.

Honesty and Bliss sounds like the names of a celebrity couple’s twin daughters, but is actually the third track on the Techno EP. Without cranking the volume up to eleven and having a trash about, The Clameens become much rockier on this song as the guitar playing stands out in the mix and the chorus is made to be shouted by singer and audience alike. In fact, it might sound a snarky compliment to some folk, but this reminds me massively of Generator by The Holloways. I hope this is included in any future live sets as I want to see how this handles in a sweaty gig room.

The final track on the EP is Routine, where the band lament the idea of “find a job and settle down” until your life is part of a routine. Once again we are at the rockier end of their spectrum, but this time the beat is a touch slower but still dripping with optimism and pleasure.

This is the sort of thing young bands should be writing. Listening to this EP I was taken back to the Britpop summers and guitar music being uplifting and everywhere. Give The Clameens a listen on a grey day and let them give you three minutes of sunshine.

Listen to Techno here: