The Phantoms
We've been in love with this band since we first heard their debut single, and now their debut EP is just about out. Here's what we thought when we had a listen to it - even if we did have to pressure them into giving us a wee sneak preview
Okay, 30 seconds in and Wah wah guitars, indie bass grooves and stomping drums pound our ears... this is a good start to the debut EP from The Phantoms.
We had the pleasure of hearing the debut track We're Coming For You several months ago and we were hooked, and we played it to every Tom, Dick and Harry (even though we don't know guys with those names) who we met, basically forcing The Phantoms on them. But it was all in anticipation of the debut EP to come out, as we just wanted more.
And more was what we got when Colin (lead singer and guitarist) sent us - after some minor faffing about - the link to the whole shebang. So we fired it up, and were more than happy with what we heard.
Suffice to say, We're Coming For You is probably the - the - best opening track we've heard from a new band in a long time. It's got it all. Groove. Melody. Something you can actually dance to with a beer in hand. It's a stomping little song with confident swagger that makes you think come on then, show us what you can do... And it's with the rest of the EP that they show us just that.
Track 2, Step Down, just comes blazing right in like it's on a mission to show that The Phantoms are here. For me, it's the bass that just brings me back to bands from the highs of indie music in the 90's, and that just lifts this track to almost stadium anthem status - albeit anthems that mean something rather than cliched Simple Minds rehashes.
I Don't Care belts on with a riff straight out of Ride's Cool Your Boots before taking a life of it's own and showing us a more chilled out side to the band, and once again showing us that they've just got that knack of making a groove turn into a melody. It's a perfect track to get you singing along with. I don't care, what you say. It's The Phantoms attitude, and this just brings it home.
Undiscovered Secrets is next and once more the anthemic stature of these songs comes forth with an almost hypnotic guitar riff. I miss hearing bands that have the confidence to actually shut the fuck up once in a while during a song to let other elements of the track take hold, and The Phantoms manage to do this with such class that you're actually waiting to hear what they're going to do next.
We finish off this amazing journey with Dust, which instead of being the out and out, balls out, finale track you'd expect from a new band - let's be as fast and as loud as we can just so folk remember us - this is probably the most thought out track on the collection, combining everything we've now come to know as The Phantoms sound, but being just short enough for us to want to loop back and hear track one and start everything all over again.
In summary?
Evo4 say One, Two, Three, Four!!.
When asked to summarise the album, lead singer Colin Simpson said The Phantoms were Just What The People Need.
Believe us when we say, you need to give this a listen.
Evo - 07/10/2013
The band are launching their EP at Cabere Voltaire in Edinburgh, and you can find the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/525716180844806/
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