poppedmusic

Resort

Released January 29th 2016

Words: Sion Ford

Releasing an album as the sum total of three previous, albeit exclusive, EPs is certainly unconventional, but that’s exactly what Tuff Love are planning on doing come the 29th of January when they release their debut full length album, Resort. Compiled of fifteen tracks from three EPs that have been floating around in the ether already, this album marks the arrival of the Glaswegian duo Tuff Love and it does not disappoint.

Bringing to the proverbial table their own brand of lo-fi nonchalance, Tuff Love are an interesting proposition and a band that will surely garner a devout following as their reputation grows. Even in the opening track, Sweet Discontent, there’s something about them that catches your attention.

Admittedly this group aren’t going to be everyone’s taste as this music does seem to draw in a special kind of follower, but that shouldn’t put anyone off from giving this duo a go – there’s an accessibility to their songwriting and their singing as embodied in Penguin, and yet they maintain a conviction to their sound without putting the listener off with songs like Slammer.

While this is my first encounter with this group, it’s on occasions like these that I’m grateful to have come across the band I find myself reviewing – Tuff Love have the sound of a band that could explode in popularity, maybe not in the commercial sense, but definitely among the circles of those who like their music to carry a reality and attitude; they doubtless have a dedicated following in their hometown already, and my hope is that they see it spread to elsewhere. If ever there were a song that embodied a band’s potential in their debut release, then it has to be That’s Right for these two.

Though it’s not always fair to compare a new group to one that’s well known and established, for fear of being dismissive, there is a similarity in some of Tuff Love’s songs to those of an early Warpaint – Doberman, for example. That said there’s definitely a unique sound and identity to these two’s music, Cum perhaps being the best embodiment of the understated, provocative confidence that comes through in their music.

Without wanting to lead this piece into the realms of cliché, and given that it is very very early doors this year, Resort is already going to make my list of favourite releases for 2016 and sets the bar at an interesting level for all the reviews to follow. Whenever coming across a new band, there’s always a hope that they somehow trounce your expectations. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, and it’s probably fair to say that it’s rarer still (in my experience, at least) for a new band to make an instant follower of you. As far as Tuff Love are concerned, there’s no such trouble here and they will be firmly on my radar for the oncoming future.

Listen to Carbon from Resort here: