S.C.U.M

Artist: S.C.U.M
Title: Again into Eyes
Record Label: Mute
Rating: 8.0

With a name that would suit a gob hurling punk band, S.C.U.M instantly throw a musical curve ball, as their pulsing post-punk, shoegaze hybrid isn’t the anti social childhood destroyer you might expect.

The quintet’s debut LP, Again into Eyes carries a brooding malevolence which is illustrated by the razor sharp guitar riffs and floor rumbling bass. The darkness is then completed by Thomas Cohen’s vocal delivery which carries a sprinkle of Ian Curtis crossed with Brian Molko. This then intertwines with spectral layers of electronics.

Again into Eyes on first impressions appears to be a very dark and menacing album, but once you scratch the surface, a light breaks through the murk. The lyrics are delivered with a gloomy tone, but document themes of the dawning of a new day and the beginning of new times. Like the sun bursting through after a heavy downpour, these optimistic themes are pleasant surprise.

While a number of tracks on Again into Eyes clatter along with a dynamic urgency, but there are moments of calm that break up the intensity. ‘Paris’ begins with a subtle keyboard motif and sombre drum pattern, which provide a delicate cloak to envelop Cohen’s sombre croon. The track then expands from its sparse arrangements to a grand display of noise and distortion. The band isn’t afraid to embrace a noisier end of the spectrum either, which is evident in stand out track ‘Summon the Sound’. Never has a track lived up to its name more perfectly, as all manner of sound is beckoned to create a pulsing racket.

Again into Eyes demonstrates all things gloomy and introspective, while embracing light and colour, like a rainbow lighting up a cloud filled sky.

Words and Thoughts of Adam Williams