Image courtesy of Kevin Thomson
What’s The Score?
Five years ago, I first saw, ‘Gallus’! It was a wet Tuesday night in Broadcast. The room was pretty quiet as I remember. They were all pretty reserved, shuffling through their songs in trackies and feedback.
Half a decade later and the same band, now notorious for their charismatic live shows, punchy tunes and all round eccentric chaotic energy, have finally put all their hard graft into a full length debut album: ‘We Don’t Like The People We’ve Become’.
The Album
Some seasoned fans might notice straight away that the album is made up primarily of new material. Whilst at first, this might seem a bit daunting, it becomes apparent as you go through the record that this isn’t just a collection of singles. Instead, the boys have opted for a more coherent approach to the LP, one that focuses more on celebrating their progression as a band and showcases just how far they’ve come since the early days.
For those who aren’t familiar with ‘Gallus’, think of, ‘Arab Strap’, if they were exposed to pop punk and post internet irony. Balancing between serious and silly; self-awareness and disassociation. However, that being said, it is quite surprising that the final product turned out so dark considering how fun and lively the band are. Maybe the indie outfit have quite literally been, ‘kidding us on’, this whole time
‘Moderation’, kicks off the record in full excess. ‘Fruitflies’, shows just how anthemic, ‘Gallus’ can go while slow burner track, ‘What Do I Know’, meditates in a helpless brilliance. ‘Mr Nothing’ and ‘Penicillin’ go hand in hand as great bursts of alt-punk frustration. Finally, closer, ‘Sickness and Health’ is my favourite song on the whole LP. It’s the bit of chocolate at the end of the cornetto. Full of sadness, anger, melody and honesty, (the song by the way; the cornetto metaphor is finished now!). It feels like the band’s defining statement.
Wrapping It All Up!
The music industry is a funny sort of thing. It can make wreckages out of good, talented people. The way we consume music and the way artists are treated as a result of that hasn’t made things any easier. What I’m saying is that it takes a lot of luck, talent and hard work for artists now to achieve anything, never mind a great debut album!
‘Gallus’, may have realised through their mad journey as a band that they don’t like the people they’ve become. However, maybe for now, they can console themselves with the fact that with a record as brilliant and as perfect as this, we love the band just the way they are!
Don’t just take my word for it. Have a listen for yersel!