Tag Archives: Soundflat Records

THE GRUESOMES: The Dimension Of Fear.

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There are many things we can thank Canada for, but the one thing I am eternally grateful for, is that one of the best bands all time are from there. The Gruesomes.

The Gruesomes were a band I found on my own when I was about 20 ish (I’m 38) and when I found them, I felt like I did the first time I heard The Cramps and The Cure. I felt like I had found a home and being a weirdo wasn’t so bad at all. The Gruesomes debut record came out in ’86 (the year I was born) and 40 years later, the record still sounds effortlessly slick and ahead of its time. There is something so fantastic and beyond description within that record. I remember going to a market in Camden about 8 or 9 years ago when I was still living in London, and I did my weekly trip to buy records on my lunch break. I had 2 records in my hand, but all of a sudden, a copy of Tyrants Of Teen Trash caught my eye. I had been searching EVERYWHERE for this record, and all of a sudden, I am staring at it. Holding it in my hands. My holy grail. It was in my hands. I put the other 2 records pack, and bought The Gruesomes. I had the finest record of all time in my possession. I was the luckiest person in the world.

A few weeks ago, the band released The Dimension Of Fear. A record named by a fan, and it’s a solid name for a solid record. This record could easily have been released right after Tyrants Of Teen Trash. It has that typical sound of theirs; the sound that I know and love. The sound that feels like home, and the band have never sounded better. I hope one day they do a proper tour of the UK- I wouldn’t be mad if they didn’t make it to Manchester because I’d absolutely find a way to get to see them. But for now, let’s talk about why their new record rips and is one of the best records of the year.

The Dimension Of Fear is 12 songs in half an hour. You’ll want more, but what you get is essentially the best of The Gruesomes. It’s a sensational record, and it’s the band at their very best. I simply cannot praise this record enough, but I will. I will not shut up about this record at all. It’s their first record in 25 years, and those 25 years have sure as hell dragged! This is a stunning record, and if I was into marking records out of 10- it would exceed 10 out of 10. Gerry and Bobby’s vocals have never sounded so strong. You know they’ve been around for some time, and you’d probably expect there to be a change in how they play or whatever but absolutely not. This band can put any new bands to shame. They’ve got an abundance of energy that you wish you had even a fraction of. You wish you were as cool as The Gruesomes!

Just Go Away and That’s Using Your Head show us exactly why the band are one of the best, and I love that they are still playing shows. They are showing everyone how it’s done. They for me, are just one of the most underrated bands of all time. I love how they have that 60s Garage Rock sound but have carried it on beyond that (I know they formed in ’85, but I mean they perfected a sound before their time and made it theirs.) The Gruesomes know how to make songs that make you want to dance in a questionable fashion, they make you want to sing along as loud as you can to bops like What In The World, Broke My Brain and You’re Outta Luck. You cannot help but listen to this record and feel you’ve gone back in time BUT! BUT! If you’re already a fan of The Gruesomes, you’ll feel like they’ve never been away. I wasn’t born when their debut record came out (same year but I was still cookin’) but listening to their new record makes me feel like I’ve heard them for the first time but also really happy that I get to hear new music from a band I absolutely love.

Like a lot of bands I love, The Gruesomes make me wish I could play guitar or something because this is the kind of music I’d want to make. It’s just a prime example of slick Garage Rock/Punk, and it just makes you feel good. The band sure know how to make their fans feel good with their punchy Garage Rock sound, and I love that the band have been together for so long. You can truly hear in the music how much fun they have together and that beautiful childlike feel in their songs just has you hooked. The snarly vocals, the urgency in the sound. The playful and rowdy sound that just makes you want to ignore everything around you and soak up this record. It’s a masterpiece. It’s The Gruesomes in all their wonderful glory and I am so so grateful that they are still together and making music like this. It’s a flawless record, and you just cannot get enough of it.

They still have that rebellious schoolkid sound, and that sound is something you cannot help but love. You cannot help but be obsessed with it. Everything about this record is all us fans of The Gruesomes could ever want from them. It’s massively exceeded what I thought the record would sound like. I knew it was going to be a dream of a record, but this is truly something else.

Get yourself a copy and play it as loud as you can. And have it on repeat. I feel I could write a thousand plus more words on this record, but hopefully I’ve summed up my love for it and why it’s one of the best records of the year and was worth waiting 25 years for. Just don’t make us wait another 25!

The Dimension Of Fear is out now via Soundflat Records. Get some snotty Garage Punk in your ears!

THE BARON FOUR.

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With daily/modern life being a general bore and about as challenging as a child’s wordsearch, I seem to always fall back on new(ish) bands that sound like something from the past. Maybe it’s a way of holding onto a time I was never there for, a time I wish I could have witnessed. It’s okay because at least there are bands around that make you feel as if you there, even if you are stuck in the now surrounded by people taking photos of themselves and getting in the way of beautiful scenery because they need you to tell them look gorgeous instead of where they are. People are becoming more and more boring. Hiding behind their phones because mouth and brain don’t match up. Give me some records, and I’ll be fine.

The Baron Four have been around for the past 3/4 years and are solid beat band. They’ve got bits of the Count Five and even The Kinks within their sound. I’m a fan of the Count Five in a big way so to hear a current band who make you feel as if you’re discovering the likes of The Vagrants and The Gruesomes for the first time is bloody good.

The Baron Four have brilliant songs that focus on a lot of heartbreak and how women can be cruel with hearts.. Their music is perfect for a break-up or for attempting to forget the face of someone you’re fond of, even if you’ve not told them. Beating yourself up over your timidness as they waltz off with another. We’ve all been there and we all deal with it differently. The Baron Four have this way of portraying heartbreak in an accessible way. You feel as if the songs are for you, even if you’ve not had your heart torn out in a while.

This UK band have a proper Garage Rock with some kind of freak-beat going on which makes them stand out from most. Their songs don’t really last longer than 3 and half minutes, just enough time for you to be thrown back to the 60s and forget where you are, and who you are. You can close your eyes whilst listening to them or you can dance as if you have no control over your limbs. They can make the lifeless feel something, and I’m just really in awe of how they’ve perfected an old sound but made it sound so current. I know that sounds borderline pretentious and I really don’t mean it that way. It’s just you see a lot of bands trying to do this, ripping off other bands and you’re left uneasy and unsure about it all, but with The Baron Four you can’t help but actually believe that this band were around in the 60s giving the others a real run for their money.

The Baron Four are a credit to the UK music scene and them not being huge is almost criminal. But those that love them know exactly how brilliant they are.

You can listen to their magnificent sounds here:

https://thebaronfour.bandcamp.com